If you are an 18-year-old or first-time voter, and Nov. 8 will be your initial entry into the voting booth or voting by mail, I hope you will consider these points. Make a decision right now, regardless of party or candidate that you will cast a ballot.
Why is that so important? Whether or not you slept through history classes is secondary. Had you paid some attention, you would have learned that, down through the years, this nation has sent men and women into war zones in part to protect the freedom to vote.
We have defeated dictators who assumed they had some heaven-granted gift to lead their people. Most led them astray, killed many who disagreed with them or made life for the masses grossly inadequate.
You, as the beneficiary of this long line of proud warriors, have the freedom to secretly cast a vote for the person you believe is right for this nation, Congressional district, and municipality. There are many around the globe who may never have such an opportunity. Don’t waste a vote.
You will someday, if not already, pay the price for all the actions that these or other elected officials have caused. Wouldn’t you prefer to have a say in who represents you? I would.
If you are 18, and voting is a new experience, please, do not be guided by emotions. Do the best you can to learn what each candidate will do. Yes, they may stray from what they have promised, but you will have done your due diligence to select the ones who will work best in your mind.
Think back over the years, even though yours may be very few in relation to others. There was a time when white men only were allowed to vote. Women rose up to protest. Some viewed them as troublemakers, but they stuck to what they believed. Women were finally accorded the right to vote.
There was a time when African-Americans were threatened, excluded, or taxed in some places to prevent them from voting. That injustice started to be opposed, first by a few, then by a tidal wave whose power swept the nation. Now everyone of legal age is accorded the right to vote.
If you cop out and say you’re not going to vote, that is a poor answer and bad attitude. There are an increasing number of elections, even in Cape May County, that are won by a scant number of votes. Yes, every vote does count, even yours.
As you look around at the selection of candidates seeking office, you may think, “I could do better than that!” All the more reason to vote, become involved in “the system” then, make your willingness to seek office known to your selected party leaders.
If more good, honest, energetic men and women stepped forward, I’m willing to believe a change for the better would jolt our political landscape.
There are many seats that require candidates, not just in the political arena. On this ballot will also be found candidates for school board. Those unpaid servants labor tirelessly on behalf of students. Since you may be one of those students, why not consider what you may have to offer your board of education as a member. New blood is needed, especially from graduates who have lived closer to the system than many veteran members.
If for no other reason, think of your grandparents or great-grandparents. Perhaps they came to America from an oppressed land where poor people could not vote. They came here in the hope that their future generations, you, would live under better conditions. Vote for them and for what they did for you. Think of what they left behind in the old country that made your today possible. Vote to thank them for taking that giant step into the unknown.
As longtime readers may recall, I made a promise to myself aboard a Navy minesweeper cruising off the coast of South Vietnam in 1971. That vow, which I have kept to this day with very few exceptions, was to vote in EVERY election in which I was eligible to cast a ballot.
As an undeclared voter, I do not vote in primary elections. That is because doing so would require the declaration of a party, something I will not do, chiefly because of my job as an editor.
Make such a promise to yourself and strive to keep it to the best of your ability.
