One Day to Go

We voted two weeks ago. Crowded. Complicated process, too. Seems there were data base issues and electronic voting was not possible for us. So we voted paper ballot. Mail ballot request messed up, too; so in person early voting employed.

What used to be simple no long is. I was an election judge for several years but have sat out the last three polling events. Don’t know why but did not receive invitation to continue my service. Perhaps the last time I did work the polls was the 2016 debacle in DuPage County? Hmmmm. Wonder if anyone knows why?

Anyway, if you didn’t vote already, please do so tomorrow. It is the latest chance you have to make your opinion count in a way that public opinion polls don’t. Cast your vote and make it count.

This is the only way we truly have to exercise power and control over our government. We elect people to office to do our will, not theirs. If they do not represent us fairly, then we have the opportunity – and duty – to replace them with someone else who we think will fairly represent us. That’s the system. That’s how it works.

All the complaining and politicking doesn’t matter. Your vote does.

In the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, congressmen are elected every two years precisely because they were accountable to the electorate in that manner. Doing a good job? Retain. If not, replace. Senators are more policy oriented and focus more on international affairs. They maintain their seats for 6 years so there is continuity. Every two years one third of the senators are up for re-election or replacement.

The president is elected for a 4-year term. He should beware the shifting sands of the House and Senate in elections if he wishes to maintain his leadership role.

State elections are similar, but the issues more local. If you are a local elected official – county, agency, or municipality – then your focus is not just your immediate locale, but also the state’s policy role in your work. It is a vertical power grid, not horizontal. Same with Federal government – vertical, not horizontal.

Get those basics firmly set in your mind and you are able to discern which segments of government you need to focus on for which types of issues. If we wish more control over any of this, the system becomes more complicated. It is already complicated; please don’t make it worse.

My point today is simply this: know your government’s structure; focus on their actions and mindsets. Then get familiar with the stands of present candidates and choose carefully. Then vote accordingly.

Pay no attention to political advertising. They are all misleading and miss their purpose: to inform you about the stands of the candidate. These days political ads are all attacking the opposition. This demeans our process and misinforms the voter precisely of the information he needs most.

If we reform anything, let it be on political advertising.

November 5, 2018