Promote the Vote
- Kelsey Harrison
- Aug 19, 2020
- 3 min read
Just to put it bluntly, GO VOTE! Seriously, this is a topic that I am insanely passionate about but aside from my personal political viewpoints everyone should take an interest in hitting the polls.
It doesn't matter if you are a registered Republican, Democrat, Other, or choose to not align yourself with any particular party, you have an opinion. Now this being said, if you value your own opinion and your way of life then voting should be on your to-do list.
Now more than ever society is outwardly and loudly asserting their minds, but these are also the same exact people who believe their vote doesn't matter, to lazy to show up at the polls, forget to go vote, or didn't receive the appropriate amount of information. If you are deeply moved and feel so strongly about issues in our world today then you should be concerned enough to cast a vote. By voting you are putting your seal on history, this is how you make a difference. You cannot make an impact if you aren't willing to put in the smallest effort, by voting. The only reason I decided to write about this particular topic is because of our local primaries that were held this week. I am discussing Florida's third congressional district because that's where I'm from, and where I am registered to vote. I was astonished, to put it lightly at the voter turnout for this years local races. I'm not the only one who noticed the disparaging low voter turnout, people that aren't even involved in politics turned to social media to rant about the lack of participation. I understand we live in "unprecedented" times, but that's simply no excuse. You can vote in person, absentee, and by mail there are so many alternatives. I do advocate if you are physically able to go, to vote at the polls but there are circumstances I understand where people cannot.
Florida's 3rd congressional district consists of six rural counties, Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Marion, Putnam, and Union. If you search your counties supervisor of election website, they list the results and the percentage of voter turnout.
Alachua-32.96%
Bradford-42.62%
Clay-32.89%
Marion-26.63%
Union-45.94%
(I realize that Putnam isn't listed, if you go to there page this is what you are greeted with)
Union County (where I'm from) had the highest voter turnout, which I am very proud of my little town however, this isn't acceptable when we are making decisions that will and can change our district as a whole. Not one county had even just 50% voter turnout, why is it that we have so many "active voters" yet they aren't casting a ballot? I have heard many people state that, "Well this is actually a great turnout for local primaries, it won't look like this in November." Why though are we accepting this as the "norm," or great? We should and need to do more, this may not have been the presidential election, but it still matters!
You are electing school board members, this effects your children
You are electing county commissioner's, this effects the counties budget, and local ordinances (who can you rely on when you're in need)
You are electing state senator's, this affects legislation for your state that either makes new laws or modifies existing ones.
You are electing a congressman/or congresswoman, this essentially affects us long-term and much more than people realize. In this seat, the representative introduce's bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serves on committees. The representative also does flag requests, helps young men and women wanting to enter the military, gives letters of recommendations, aide's with scholarships, and is literally the face, extension, and expression of your hometown.
I urge you to please remember to vote in November, and if you aren't familiar with the process or need assistance please refer to one of the many resources that I've attached, or reach out to me and I assure you I will help in anyway possible. If you are military or a milspouse and you need guidance about receiving an absentee ballot please don't hesitate to reach out to me, I am certified with the Federal Voting Assistance Program and would love to help.
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