I realize that by the time most of you read this, you will likely already have voted in this year’s election. With the advent of mail and early voting in Colorado, the number of people who wait until Election Day to vote continues to decline.
If for some reason you haven’t voted, and you read this on or before November 5, I hope you will make the effort to cast your ballot. I understand that there are many reasons why you might have decided not to vote; I don’t like the often-nasty nature of our political system any more than you do. But voting is a sacred privilege, one of our fundamental rights that many people have fought and died to protect. You should not take it for granted.
Mind you, I’m not suggesting who you should vote for or against or what ballot questions you should support or oppose. While CREA works in politics and our affiliated political action committee supports various candidates, I’m not advocating for anyone or any issue. What I am advocating for is your constructive participation and engagement in our political process.
I emphasize the word “constructive” because, as I noted earlier, there is far too much destructive rhetoric in our current politics. Both major political parties are guilty of the tendency to waste time degrading their opponents instead of focusing on solutions and engaging in substantive policy debates. This is nothing new, but with the ability of social media to amplify these negative images and messages, it’s harder for the old-fashioned tools of persuasion and logic to cut through the muck.
I remember very clearly the first time I voted for a candidate for president of the United States. It was 1980, and the two major party candidates were Democrat (and incumbent) Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. I wasn’t enthralled with either candidate, so I voted for the Independent candidate, John Anderson. Of course, Reagan won in a landslide and my candidate, Anderson, received 6.6% of the votes.
I have voted in every presidential election since 1980, and I frankly can’t imagine not doing so. I know it often seems like your vote is not that significant, but if you look at the last presidential election, a few thousand votes in several states made a difference in the outcome. And it’s not at all unusual for state or local races to be determined by a handful of votes or less; your vote matters!
But while the outcome of elections is of course important, the mere act of voting is equally important. The right to vote is absolutely one of the cornerstones of our representative democracy, and we should not forget that at least half the people on this planet do not have the right to vote in free and fair elections.
So, if you have already voted, congratulations on exercising the franchise, and good luck to your chosen candidate or ballot question. If you have not voted, and there’s time, please study up on the candidates and issues and cast your vote. It’s your civic duty.
Kent Singer is the executive director of CREA and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for 21 Colorado electric distribution co-ops and one power supply co-op.