Through the years everyone has heard, “voting is the duty of all American citizens”, “voting is our most sacred right as Americans”, “make sure your voice is heard by voting”, or some variation along those lines. The importance of voting cannot be overstated. It is what has allowed our “great experiment in democracy” to survive for over 200 years. Over the course of this “American experiment” 2 things have become clear: every vote really does make a difference and elections have consequences.
At this point everyone knows the story of the 2000 election, George Bush won a controversial Presidential election over Al Gore. It was a total fiasco with recounts and court battles that lasted for weeks and was finally settled by the US Supreme Court. Officially, the outcome was determined by 537 votes in a state that had over 5,000 polling places. Using those numbers, less than 1 vote per polling place decided the official outcome of the race. Those 537 votes altered the future of our entire country and the world. Even with all the irregularities of that election, all it would have taken is having 1 more person in less than 20% of the polling places show up to vote to swing that election. Still think that your 1 vote doesn’t count?
The recent Macon County Sheriff election is still fresh in everyone’s minds. The initial count put Chubby Brown ahead by 1 vote. After years of recounts and lawsuits, Jim Root won by 16 votes. Macon County has 64 precincts so if just 1 more vote was made in just over a quarter of those, totally different result. Do you really still think that your 1 vote doesn’t count?
How about what happens when candidates get into offices? What priorities do the majority of the officeholders have? Do they align with yours? In 2007, we lost the contractual privilege to smoke in the shop because our Illinois legislature passed a ban on smoking inside. How about all the changes with healthcare that were brought about when Obamacare was passed in 2010? Remember the income tax increase that Quinn did when he was governor of Illinois? Maybe you recall the changes to the tax code during the Trump administration? Probably the most recent major change was the Supreme Court re-examining Roe vs Wade. All these changes were made by our elected officials through direct legislative action or by proxy with appointments to Judicial positions. Elections have consequences.
Nationally, we will be electing the entire US House of Representatives and 1 of our US Senators. On the state side, all our Illinois State Representatives, some Illinois State Senators, and all State Executive Branch offices are up for election. This is not counting various municipal races, referendums, and other important ballot questions that will be appearing this year. Pay attention to the “smaller races” that are further down the ballots. Often times, these races have more direct impact on your day to day lives than the “large” National level ones do.
As a result of the 2020 US Census, this will be the first year that the newly drawn up political districts will be utilized. New names may be appearing on ballots as some candidates have been redistributed into new districts or precincts. Make sure to take some time to research where your polling place is, who your candidates are, and their positions on issues important to you. Each county now offers early voting, same day voter registration, as well as traditional election day voting so the ability to vote just keeps getting easier. If you do not know where your polling place is, visit the Local’s webpage and click on the link to find out. All you have to do is enter your address and it will display where to go on election day.
Please exercise your right as an American Citizen and vote on November 8.
Bob Kreitler, Trustee