Imagine someone offered to fix your favorite dinner, but when they asked, you said, “You choose.” Now wouldn’t that be ridiculous? But, for far too many years, this ridiculous scenario has been repeated over and over again.
This week, you will be invited to choose who will represent you in numerous seats of government, and how your hard-earned tax dollars will be spent. Yes, I’m talking about the ballot you will get in the mail.
Voting is not an obscure right granted to an elite few. In the United States of America is is the duty, yes, THE DUTY, of every adult citizen, and it is required to maintain the democracy that has been the guiding light and the hope of the world for 250 years.
In Oregon, our elected representatives have done everything possible to make voting easy. Our ballots are mailed to our door. An informative voters pamphlet with information about all the candidates and the measures we are asked to decide upon was also sent to your mailbox. And, once you’ve made your choices, your ballot can be dropped off at numerous ballot boxes throughout the county or returned via the mail with the postage-paid envelope it came with. It’s so easy!
Each election cycle I am shocked at how many people simply turn their choices over to the comparatively small number of people who actually vote. And, I don’t know about you, but the results of the last several elections have left a pretty foul taste in my mouth.
It’s a dereliction of our democratic duty to leave our choices to someone else!
Fred Bassett
Cloverdale, OR