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Our View: Think your vote doesn’t matter?

There has been a lot written and said about why every citizen old enough to vote needs to make an effort to go to the polls.

There has been a lot written and said about why every citizen old enough to vote needs to make an effort to go to the polls.

One quote that gets to the point is from the late American author David Foster Wallace who said, “In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some diehard’s vote.”

This is especially true when it comes to our civic elections where a notoriously low voter turnout and the preponderance of special-interest groups can make or break many candidates’ chances on election day.

For those who do make the effort to take a few minutes out of their Saturday to exercise a fundamental democratic right, there’s plenty of reasons to await the outcome of tomorrow’s elections.

From legitimate races for leadership of our communities to the chance to send a message about rising tax levels, voters can find any number of issues to get them fired up enough to want to go to the polls.

Are you happy with municipal spending increasing faster than most workers’ wages?

Do you think local government is doing enough to help those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet?

Are you concerned about the direction your board of education wants to be taking the school system in your community?

There are many candidates championing ideas to make where we live an even better place. Find someone you agree with and support them with your vote. Even if you don’t fill out an entire ballot,   you are still entitled to have your small say.

If you feel like you’re not well enough informed about who is running, take 30 minutes to learn more.

Over the last several editions we have been running stories and profiles to help voters understand which candidates speak for them.

These resources are readily available online at vicnews.com.

Whether or not you take the time to vote, your choice will help shape the future of our community.