Yeah, I know today's primary election is pretty insignificant. If you have the opportunity, though, you should still make an effort to vote. I would love to set a good example and do just that, but today's 8:00am to 8:00pm voting window is too narrow. I left the house at 7:00am and I won't get back until around 10:30pm thanks to a couple soccer matches after work.
Speaking of voting, I want to counter something Wendy Birdsall said on the radio this morning. In regard to voting, she said something along the lines of if you don't vote, "you don't have a right" to have a say anything about goings-on in the city. I hear that sort of thing all the time, and I whole-heartedly reject the notion. For one thing I don't like the use of the word "right" in that context. Of course non-voters have a right to complain. Thank goodness for the First Amendment. You may think it petty to pick on word choice, but considering all the rights people in this country are willing to take from one another, I think that particular word is awfully important.
Additionally, I know Ms. Birdsall and most others who say that sort of thing don't entirely stand behind it. Consider this easy case: can you imagine Ms. Birdsall, head of the Chamber of Commerce, standing before a gathering of youth and declaring "None of you have a right to participate in discussions about the direction of the city!" Of course not.
Voters or not, we all have a "right" to affect the direction of the city. Voting is but one element citizens should use in determining how much weight to put behind a fellow citizen's opinion. Civic engagement, expertise, and myriad other factors can be as, if not more, important than one's voting record.
But you should still try to vote.
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See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
I’m excited. I cannot stand all the campaign crap shoved down my throat, but watching the results pour in is cool. Oh and a sticker 😊
I vote at Park middle school. It is always great to go there late in the evening and be the 18th voter. Sigh….
Shame shame shame…Mr. Wilson!
You could have requested an absentee ballot. Oops, I didn’t request one for this election either. It’s sad that I still vote in Lincoln elections but spend maybe five days total in Lincoln during the course of a year.
Go vote! Do it, or P. Diddy might kill you (re: his “Vote or Die” shirts from a few years ago).
If you don’t vote you shouln’t be allowed to complain because you DID nothing to change the outcome.
Voting is not only a right but an obligation. We live in a country that gives every citizen the opportunity to vote; not just every person of a certain ethnicity, certain sex, certain economic status, certain religion, etc. If you are a citizen you have a responsibility to vote; you are heard by your vote.
One thing I wish people would do when they vote is NOT vote party lines. Not all candidates in party A are necessarily the best person for a specific position nor are they if they are members of party B. Each person should be considered for their ability.
I always vote, regardless of how irrelevant some may say an election is or my level of interest in the candidates. To me, the result of an election is of secondary importance to the election itself. I always leave the polling place with a sense of appreciation for all the people and everything those people did for me to have that ability. I haven’t missed a single opportunity to vote in my nearly 10 years eligible.
Iheard Wendy Birdsall say that, and I too was a little shocked. She’s usually pretty sharp with her words (seems like she’s on KLIN every day). I’m sure she meant to say something else, but it is what it is.
In related news, I saw Ken Svoboda wandering around Gateway Mall by himself shortly after 7 tonight. I thought that was kind of odd.
That is odd - he should have been out working on those medians. LOL
Actually, Gateway has a pretty little “Ray’s Lawn Care” display, and I thought for sure he was there to check on that. But he was really just walking around.
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