70. Why bother?

It is 70 days until the next U.S. congressional midterm election. Primary elections are taking place today in Florida and Arizona.

Why should you bother voting?

Yesterday, I wrote about making sure you had a ride to the polls, or about helping others get there.

A person commented (now deleted) with the opinion nobody should be helped getting to the polls. This person wrote about “other people” from the “other side of the tracks” being carried to the voting booth and swaying an election.

This person wants decisions to be made by people of a like mind, people who live comfortably enough they don’t have to plan ahead just to have a ride to the polls.

Are you one of the “other people”?

If so, you definitely need to get informed, make sure you’re registered, get to the polls and vote.

Notice I slipped “get informed” in there. Regular readers might remember a column I wrote March 6 titled “Should I vote?” in which I opined it’s dangerous when voters don’t know what’s going on. The article wrapped up thusly:

 

I mean, do we really want uninformed people voting? Can you imagine what might happen?

Of course, it happened.

Don the Con convinced millions of people they were getting the shaft and egged them into voting. The result is we’re currently relying on criminal investigations and the other branches of government to clean up the mess before it’s beyond repair.

Should you go vote?

Not unless you’ve done your homework. However, if that’s the case, if you know who’s running and why and who you agree with, if you’re up on the issues and how they affect us, then please make your ballot heard.

 

Almost a third of the way through my 100-day campaign encouraging people to register and to vote, I still believe what I wrote in March to be true. I have been telling you how I think you should vote, but you owe it to yourself to check things out on your own, talk to others, read, and fight to keep propaganda from messing with the process.

Register, stay informed, get to the polls, vote early, take friends.

Or “other people” will make decisions for you.