Let’s get out the vote this election cycle
Published 2:27 pm Saturday, March 3, 2018
The last few election cycles have been pretty interesting and 2018 looks to follow that same path.
2016 saw Donald Trump win the Republican nomination and subsequently the White House.
2017 saw Doug Jones win an Alabama Senate seat in a special election against Roy Moore, with the eyes of the nation watching.
2018, at least nationally, will likely be just as momentous.
Midterm elections tend to fly under the radar, with voter turnout being routinely low.
But this year could be different. There are 33 seats in the Senate and 39 in the House of Representatives being contested, as well as 36 states deciding governorships.
All of this is ties to the supposed “Blue Wave” of Democrats getting elected in what are normally considered Republican strongholds.
In a moment of such political uncertainty, what can the public do during a moment like this?
The answer is simple. Participate.
2016 saw 55.7 percent of registered voters actually turnout on election night. As low as that number was it was higher than 2012, up 0.8 percent.
That is incredibly low.
Every election should have as close to 100 percent turnout as possible, whether the elections be local, regional or national.
Whether you agree with the president or not, you should get out and vote. If you believe in anything, you should vote.
With voter turnout this low, it is impossible to know what a majority of the country believes or thinks on any one issue.
So let’s change that by getting out to vote. Apart from being a civic duty, it is vital to the sustained existence of our democracy.
If you don’t, then you have no right to complain about the results.