"It's Time To Vote"
By Capt. Fred Davis
Published: Saturday, November 5, 2016

One last commentary before election 2016 arrives on Tuesday after what seems like years in the making. The race for president officially began in March 2015 when Ted Cruz announced his candidacy, 19 months ago. All media sources are stating: “The presidential race has two of the most unpopular candidates ever seeking the office, with historically high unfavorable ratings.”

My next column will address the outcome of this election, but I want to take this opportunity to repeat a few comments I’ve made leading up to this “unprecedented” balloting.

The most important statement I have repeated often is:

Be sure to vote. If you decide you are not voting because you don’t like the choice offered for president, and there are more than you thought, that’s foolish and you may regret it. A sample ballot published in the Huron Tribunes Oct. 29 edition listed seven candidates for President. Independent candidate Evan McMullin is on the ballot in 11 states and a write-in candidate in 32 states.

It’s understandable why you want to pass on the top of the ticket, but by not voting at all you are saying you are happy with all of the other elected officials.

How about the congressional and legislative choices? These are people who will be your representatives in Congress. People you can talk to about issues that affect your everyday life here in the Thumb. Have you been happy with decisions made by those in judicial positions? The judicial section of the ballot lists candidates for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Those elected will be responsible for future decisions that could perhaps affect your family.

To those with youngsters in school, there may be candidates who wish to serve on your local school board. If you know someone running, prepared to represent you and give their time to help guide your school’s progress, they deserve your vote. Are you willing to allow someone to serve on your city or village councils or township boards and decide the direction your community should take to go forward? They need your vote.

Some names on the ballot appear unopposed. They may have fought a hard primary battle to allow them to ask for your vote. They deserve to know, by your vote cast for them, that you support them in the position. If you happened to disagree with the primary election’s outcome and wish to cast your ballot for someone not listed, there are lines available for write-in candidates.

If you don’t vote you are endorsing and supporting all actions that have taken place in government the past several years and you will have no right to complain about the outcome.

Just a reminder, in Huron County only 21 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the primary election. I remarked at the time that I hoped that the number was not a forecast of the election this week. Do you think that number would be sufficient to choose those who will govern all of the residents of our communities for years to come?

As I see it, it is noteworthy that there have been elections when just one vote meant victory or defeat.

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