Non-voting Citizens Need to Step Up and Assume Responsibility

I am concerned about the historic low voter turnout for Huntington's primary and general elections. My wife, Carter Seaton, overheard me lamenting about the fact that it took only 3,500 votes to win the Democratic primary election for the office of mayor of the city of Huntington in 2004. I was lambasting the citizens of our city and county for not participating in our area's elections. She stood by quietly while I voiced my disbelief that our citizens show a total lack of community concern and any sense of personal responsibility by failing to stay informed about our city's problems and participating in the election process.

Then, she asked, "If you were living on a subsistence income, in sub-standard housing, were poorly educated and didn't even have enough to eat some days, and if you felt that no one with the government cared about your circumstances, would you register to vote and vote? When you have witnessed election after election while nothing ever got better in your life, would you participate in elections?"

She went on to enumerate reasons why many of our citizens are not motivated to participate in elections. To her, the bottom line is that people do not vote because they truly do not believe that it will make a difference. If my wife is right, we are in big trouble.

After much thought about what she said, I am convinced, more than ever, that we citizens who do vote have an even larger responsibility to choose our political leaders carefully. Why, you say? Because those who do vote are choosing for the citizens who feel isolated, forgotten, uncared for and helpless -- those who feel that nothing will change for them, whether they vote, or not.

Have you registered? Will you vote in the May Primary Election? Our city needs you.