Get out and vote Tuesday; the good candidates need your support

Tuesday is primary election day in a municipal election that is in an off-presidential year, where there are few challenged races.

That usually spells a very low voter turnout.

In fact, in both the Linton and Jasonville elections, if you want to vote Republican there are no primary election candidates from your party on the ballot.

That's really a shame and kind of takes something away from this week's election. But there is still the possibility that there might be candidates from both political parties to fill out the November General Election ballot.

So why go to the polls and cast your ballot?

That's a good question if you belong to the GOP, but Democrats have plenty of reasons to be excited and head to the polls in larger-than-expected numbers.

In Linton, Democrats have two good and qualified candidates for mayor and there are contested races in four of the five races with incumbents being challenged.

In Jasonville, the only contested race is for clerk-treasurer on the Democrat ticket.

The newspaper has written stories about all of the races in the last week or so. Go back, find the stories and see what they've said.

Or better yet, check out what they didn't say.

I truly hope more than one-third of the registered cast a ballot -- which didn't get done last municipal primary election in the city of Linton.

During the last General Election only 1,722 voters went to the polls in 2007.

The die-hard partisans generally go to the polls -- well some of them do.

I hope the community realizes that the choices made by primary voters determine whom everyone else ends up voting for, or against, in the General Election.

So why bother to go vote?

* It's your money. The people you vote for will decide how much of your wealth to invest in public services and how to fairly share the tax burden.

* It's your streets that your drive on.

* It's your utilities that provide water, electricity and natural gas.

* It's your parks and recreation areas.

* It's your police department and fire departments.

* It's your city.

Citizens have been encouraged to vote for centuries.

Matthias Burnett, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwalk, in an election sermon on May 12, 1803 talked about the importance of voting when he said, "Look well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. "

George Jean Nathan also once wrote, "Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."

And Father Theodore Hesburgh, the former Notre Dame University President said, "Voting is a civic sacrament."

And yes, there are some who give excuses not to vote like I don't have a ride or I am too busy.

Those excuses won't work.

If you need a ride, call your party's chairman or precinct committeemen and I am sure a ride to the polls can be arranged.

The actual voting process only takes a few minutes on the new electronic voting machines and I would wager that waiting in line won't be a problem this election, so you do have time to vote.

Election Day is the one day each year when everyone is equal. Your vote counts just as much as anyone else's.

Remember every political issue and policy affects you whether you know it or not. If you don't vote, you're putting control of your community into the hands of someone else ... and you have no idea where those hands have been or where they might be going.

Pray about the choices and go to the polls, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

And, don't forget to check the Greene County Daily World's website -- www.gcdailyworld.com -- frequently for election results as they become available throughout the evening.

Nick is assistant editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487; by e-mail at schneider.nick@gmail.com .