Encourage each other to VOTE!
the following letter was published in the Ojai Valley News on 11/01/06:
Editor:
It is agreed that a primary responsibility of a citizen in a democracy, is to vote. Given that so few Americans of voting-age vote, I believe that it is rational that those of us who understand the importance of voting, have an additional responsibility above and beyond casting our own ballot. We are responsible to communicate clearly and directly to our family, friends, and neighbors our beliefs about the critical nature of voting.
Letters to the editors of our local papers are important vehicles for conveying this message. Yet, it is important to recognize the probability that those who read opinion pages, also vote without need of our encouragement. Therefore, I have added a 4 foot by 8 foot sign in my front yard. You can see my modest example here.
Please give thought to respectfully, and clearly encouraging others to vote.
Kristofer Young
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions Board Member
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Comments (2)
It has been a real education to join the political process, but more
important to watch people of this community voice
concerns about what they
have here, what changes they would like to see, and how much of an uncommon place Ojai is, as are those who chose to live here. Even the Republicans are feisty
and different, and I've had
many intersting exchanges,
as well as hearing from
the old guard who have probably been around for better or for worse.
Comment #1 Posted by: pete l | November 2, 2006 08:16 AM
i'd like to use this thread to explore ways in which we can improve our democracy, right here at home.
how can we raise the Ojai Valley far above the national averages in terms of voter turnout? how can we make it easier and more rewarding for people to vote? how can we turn voting from a burden to a celebration?
some food for thought:
- i just learned that in New Zealand, people are automatically registered to vote when they "come of age" (perhaps for us that means lowering the voting age to 16 so that voter registration is processed at the same time as driver's licenses, or perhaps voter registration becomes a standard part of exiting high school)
- in Peru, a sticker is taken from your voting materials and placed on your drivers license. if you are stopped by the police for any reason and they notice that you don't have a sticker on your ID, you recieve a hefty fine.
Comment #2 Posted by: evan | November 2, 2006 01:12 PM