VOTE TODAY: THERE’S SO MUCH AT STAKE

 

By Juanita Bratcher  

 

“Give us the ballot and we will fill our legislative halls with men of goodwill, and send to the sacred halls of Congress men who will not sign a Southern Manifesto because of their devotion to the manifesto of justice – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

This Election Year, unlike any other election year I’ve observed during my 34-year Journalism career, has a bunch of extremists running for elective office with extreme views and raucous behavior. If by chance they are elected in today’s election, their extreme views would play a role in the direction this country is going, and would be detrimental to any positive progress. Voters must conscientiously and responsively weed them out at the polls. And no matter how frustrated or disenchanted about the economic situation, it is better to vote than not to vote.

Many of these extremist candidates do not have the temperament, leadership skills or experience to serve in public office. They threw their gauntlets into the race and voters only salvation is to reject them at the polls. We need elected officials whose goal is to bring real solutions to real problems – not a bevy of evil, distrust and fear.

This election is another defining moment for America and Americans – we must remain vigilant of the candidates we send to office. And we must never reward bad behavior, racism and hatemongering. The candidates that voters elect for elective offices will be a determining factor as to the direction of this country. Listen to what they’ve said or what they’re saying. Listen to what they’ve said or didn’t say. Focus on their body language. Did they talk out both sides of their mouth for expediency? What is their agenda? Are you familiar with their agenda?

Pay attention to those in power that endorsed and supported these candidates for elective offices – even with their extreme rhetoric. Try to be mindful as to what their motivations were in supporting them. Perhaps, they want to “keep business as usual and maintain the status quo.” Then, too, maybe their intent is to bring in more “Keepers of the Castle” to guarantee that business as usual remain in a viable state.

America can never move forward as long as there are those standing in the way of progress, determined to turn back the clock. Certainly, that’s not progress.

The Power of the Ballot: Democracy at work 

Voters can be part of the solution (go to the polls and vote) or can be part of the problem (don’t vote). When we vote we have a voice; a voice far from being silenced.

Voting should be a priority. Voters must make a conscientious effort to stand up and be counted. And believe me; one vote can make a difference. Many times I talked to voters who said “My vote doesn’t count.” It does. As a news reporter (I am now Journalist/Publisher), I remember the final tally of a City Council election ending up in court over a one-vote difference. In Year 2004, in Groveland, Florida, two candidates received the same number (689) of votes in a race for City Council. And although there were two recounts, the deciding factor over who would get the seat was through the toss of a coin.

There was a time in this country when African-Americans and women could not vote. The 15^th Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted voting rights to African-American males, and the 19^th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote. 

During the Presidential campaign and election of 2004, charges of voter fraud, voter suppression and voter intimidation were almost an every day occurrence. Adding to that, were misleading flyers to confuse voters, specifically black voters; there were voter challenges at polling places to stall and impede the voting process; long lines, slants by political operatives, polling places moved at the last minute, and voting discrepancies, to name a few. Even today, there are still efforts by some to suppress the black vote.

 Moreover, in this election campaign (2010), dirty politics showed its ugly head in the Nevada race between Majority Senate Leader Harry Reid and Sharron Angle. A conservative 527 group, Latinos for Reform, put together an ad with a Spanish speaking narrator, urging Latino voters not to vote in today’s (November 2) election because Democrats had failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform and Democratic leadership had betrayed them and once again need their vote with more empty promises. The ad never made its way to television and ran about five times on radio.

 It is important that voters participate in the electoral process to guarantee that our democracy is continuously at work. There’s power in the ballot. Voting is a privilege. There’s power in the people…political power.

In my yet unreleased book, “Lest We Never Forget: The Power of the Ballot,” I selected two quotes from the book:

 “Our hopes and our futures depend on our ballot. We must resoundingly reject the deliberate, detrimental, culturalized indoctrination that ‘my one vote does not count or matter’ ” – The Late Illinois Appellate Court Justice R. Eugene Pincham

 “…We have a duty to teach our children how precious the right to vote is in this country…what an incredible injustice is done when we choose not to participate in the electoral process” – Retired Illinois Senate President Emil Jones

 If you’re a voter and did not vote during Early Voting, please cast your vote today at your neighborhood polling place.

 Go out and Vote Today. Remember, voting is a privilege. And there’s a lot at stake in this election.