By Grace Graves
The basis of a functioning constitutional republic is an informed, voting citizenry. According to the Tennessee Secretary of State, under 2.5 million people voted in the 2012 general election. The number was lower in 2014 when America was not in the middle of a heated U.S. presidential race between the incumbent President Barack Obama and Massachusetts’s Governor Mitt Romney.
.According to the U.S. Archives, the 2012 election was decided by less than 3.5 million votes. That is less than four percent of the United States population.
Most of the attention on this year’s general election has been on the presidential election. While this election is important, there are other state and local elections that will also be on the ballot. These smaller elections are just as important because those politicians are often making decisions on the issues that will affect the voter most directly. They decide on the different state or locally implemented taxes, law, and social issues on things like abortion, cannabis legalization or physician-assisted suicide.
It is not only important to vote, but also to vote intelligently. Knowing what each candidate stands for and what issues they support is vital. What issues do you have against their stance? Independent research is important because media are often biased. Forming well researched based stances on issues instead of simply following others is essential part of the aforementioned “informed” citizenry. .
Even in Rhea County, Tom Davis, the administrator of elections, explained that he has witnessed races end with a difference of only two votes.
Voter registration forms are available in the Bryan library, the DMV, public libraries, the county clerk’s office, and various other government run offices. These forms should be mailed in or taken personally to the county clerk’s office. In Tennessee, citizens have until October 11, 2016 to register to vote with the county election office. November 8, 2016 is the day to put words to actions and get to your designated polling location to cast your vote. If that date is an issue, early voting takes place from October 19 to November 3, 2016. Your vote matters.
