You Better Vote

One of the more interesting things that I learned on my trip to Peru earlier this year had nothing to do with the culture or education system. I was talking with our tour guide about their political structure. Like many Latin American countries, Peru has struggled with government corruption in the past. When I asked him about the process now and how elections work, I got a very interesting answer. In Peru, you are fined as a citizen if you do not vote. The fine isn't very steep and equates to about $25, but the fact that they place that much importance on voting impressed me.

As a social studies teacher, I always stressed the importance of voting to my students. Ultimately, we all want informed voters, not just voters. I had a running joke in my class that went like this: "The great thing about America is that everyone can vote. The problem with America is that everyone can vote." In a democratic society, each of our votes counts the same, even when we might think that they should not. Despite the ease and availability of voting, we seem to have low voter turnouts. Just four years ago, we participated in a primary election similar in importance to the one we face this Tuesday. In North Carolina, less than 36% of registered voters participated in the election. Even in the all-important Presidental election that November, only about two-thirds of registered voters participated.

While we place much higher importance on large, federal elections, the local and state offices probably impact our daily lives more than we suspect. The current primary election offers you a chance to select your candidate for offices such as our state legislature (they control your job and your paycheck), State Superintendent (they control many aspects of your job), Governor (they sign laws relating to education including budget) and many others that impact your life in and out of school. If you live in Greene County, you can also vote to select our local Board of Education. (We have two open positions!) If you want to see what all is on your ballot, I suggest using this site: https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2020.

I often have people ask me who I think they should vote for in local elections, but due to my position on the county Board of Elections, I cannot endorse or oppose any candidate. What I can tell you is that I want to see you vote. In an ever-increasing time of political polarity, I strongly feel that most non-voters are people in the middle of the political spectrum. Most people are not 100% liberal or conservative. People that don't vote usually don't feel excited about a candidate or the process because they can't personally identify with a candidate. But if you don't vote, you are allowing someone else's political identity and personal values to speak for you. Chances are, that doesn't always match what you believe or doesn't always give you the best possible scenario for your life and your profession.

So this week's message is simple. GO VOTE! (If you haven't done so already). And more than that, take a few minutes to do your homework. (That's what we tell our kids, right?) The next few years of our lives are counting on you.