Linda here.
A week from today the election will be over: no more partisan ads, no more polls, no more political robocalls. Candidates won’t be bad-mouthing, badgering and outright lying about their opponents. Millions of us will heave a sigh of relief.
But, as Yogi Berra put it so well, “it ain’t over till it’s over”. You still have a job to do. There’s time to educate yourself on the issues and the candidates – to look beyond the ads. These organizations make an attempt to be non-partisan and provide facts:
- League of Women Voters
- Vote Smart
- PoliFact.com
- Snopes,com
- An excellent document to read is Guide to Informed Voting
Voting is your right and responsibility. Americans have fought and died for this privilege and people in other countries are still fighting for it.
Some take their right to vote for granted, but it wasn’t that long ago when entire segments of the population – like women – were denied that right. Women gained suffrage in 1919. Your grandmothers may remember not being able to vote, mine did.
Since then, African-Americans, Asians, Latinos and Native Americans have faced obstacles to voting at various times. Accessibility issues continue to disenfranchise citizens with disabilities.
Voting is your voice. Voting is a license to justifiably complain about your elected officials. Your grievances will carry more weight if you speak out as a voter to make your candidate accountable for promises they made.
No excuses. Minnesota makes it especially easy to vote. You can file an absentee ballot up until November 7th. Mark it on your calendar – November 8th – get out and vote. You may even get an “I VOTED” sticker; wear it proudly.
Interested in learning more about voting? Check outThe History of Voting.