This post is a straightforward matter. It will be brief.
While most weeks I endeavor to tell a story
though the blog, today’s edition is really more of a directive than a than a
narrative. The instruction is quite
simple. The 2014 General Election Day is
Tuesday, November 4th. In
North Carolina, Early Voting begins tomorrow and extends until November 1st. Absentee Ballots may be requested by mail until
Tuesday, October 28th. Your
mission, and I know you will choose to accept it, is, GO VOTE! It’s really that simple.
The deadline for registration for the November
Election was October 10th.
So, if you’ve yet to register, you’re too late for this election. However, as I like to say, if you ARE
eligible, and do not vote, YOU, my friend, are part of the problem.
I am reminded of the expression, “Think
globally; act locally.” In a very real
sense, we can apply that sagacious advice to voting. We all want our world to be a better
place. Often in contemplating that
wanting, we think of all the faraway implications of that desire. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with
that. However, most people’s truth is, it
is controlling the nearby, mundane, and readily manageable details that make
the greatest impact on our lives, and the lives of those we love and care about
most.
Voting is like that. For sure, it is important to ponder for whom
you will cast your ballot. Moreover, in
the best-case scenario, you’ll learn what they stand for, and the kinds of
things for which you can…and should…hold them accountable.
Here in Charlotte, my ballot will include a
seat for the U.S. Senate, a seat for the U.S. House of Representatives, a NC State
Senate seat, a NC House of Representatives seat, a District Attorney seat,
three at-large seats and one District seat for the Board of County
Commissioners, a seat for County Sheriff, three seats for Associate Justice of
the NC Supreme Court and one for Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court, four
seats for the NC Court of Appeals, two seats for NC Superior Court, eight seats
for NC District Court, two seats for Soil & Water Conservation District,
and Referenda on: a Constitutional Amendment to allow any person accused of a
crime in a non Death Penalty case to forego a jury trial, a local sales tax of .25%,
Public Improvement Bonds, Housing Bonds, and Neighborhood Improvement
Bonds. There you have it; local
infrastructure, and elected officials who will make policy that will affect
matters in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Raleigh/Statewide, and Washington/the
Nation/and the world.
Your and my local actions will have repercussions
all the way to global boundaries, as in when our U.S. Senator potentially
exercises his vote on our next war. I
will not tell you for whom to vote. What
I will say is there is one Party that has systematically tamped down, some say
suppressed, voting opportunities. That
same Party has opposed healthcare reform, defeated an attempt to increase the
minimum wage, and refused allow an extension of unemployment benefits, as well
as consistently opposed a number of other matters generally deemed to be
progressive public policy. I will not be
voting for individuals in that Party!
As for you, I implore you to vote. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but if you
can, why not? And while you are at it,
remind, encourage, and do whatever you can to persuade as many others as you
can to vote, as well. In 2012, Americans
responded enthusiastically to the challenge posed by those who attempted to discourage
voting. We are facing a similar
challenge today. How will you respond?
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the
link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.
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Consult
the links below for more detailed
information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
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