Editorial: Voting a privilege, don’t throw it away

If you’re not inclined to vote today – if you haven’t thought about the issues, studied candidate positions, looked beyond the ridicuously misleading TV advertisements – then you shouldn’t bother.

What? Don’t vote? Yes, you read that correctly. We’d prefer you not vote than cancel the votes of those who have paid attention; who have formed opinions; who have acquainted themselves with the issues. If you don’t care, don’t vote.

Voting is a right for almost every citizen of the United States. But it didn’t always exist. The brilliance of our founding fathers gave the concept life, then they and their neighbors put their lives on the line to secure that right through a bloody revolution. It has been safeguarded for more than 230 years through vigilance, sacrifice and courage. The right to vote was purified as women and people of color fought for their rights to cast a ballot. Sometimes those who stood up for those rights were martyred.

No group in this country has ever gotten the right to vote without fighting for it. Voting is not merely a right; it’s a privilege.

Thousands of us have already cast our ballots through the mail. We hope and expect many thousands more will visit their polling places today. But we’re not optimistic. Every survey has confirmed the apathy surrounding this election. There is no president to elect; no senators on the ballot; the governor is popular. It’s easy to become complacent. Let somebody else worry about it?

If that’s your attitude, then you’ve made the right choice by not choosing. Sit this one out.

But if you’ve paid attention to even one issue – the water bond; the deal to build a casino near Madera; local taxes – you should let your voice be heard. If you have positive or negative feelings about just one candidate – the governor, a member of the legislature, your Congressional representative (they’re all on the ballot) – you should express yourself. It won’t take long. It’s not painful. And in every area of our region there are important issues: Should Oakdale pass a sales tax? Should Turlock pass a sales tax to fix its roads? Will the “Valley caucus” that was so effective in Sacramento remain intact?

Our recommendations accompany this article. With help from our sister newspapers, we studied the issues, spoke to candidates, asked others their opinions and reached our own conclusions. Invariably, people will disagree on some issues and candidates. Sometimes we reach the same conclusions for entirely different reasons. That’s OK. The important part is to be informed; to take the time to learn about the issues before we act on them.

So if you haven’t done that, we don’t blame you for not voting. In fact, we’d just as soon you didn’t.

This story was originally published November 3, 2014 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Editorial: Voting a privilege, don’t throw it away."