That’s My Story

I am going to take a break from my typical blog topics to talk about something a bit more serious than Steeler woes and mistresses.
May 18 is the primary and for some people in Pennsylvania there is a pretty important race. I am not going to sit here and tell you who should receive your vote I just ask that you at least vote.
When I turned 18 I was pumped to be able to vote, but my interest started much before that.
When I was young, my parents took me to the polls when they would vote, even letting me pull the lever once or twice. I can remember people handing stuff out as we entered the Waterford fire hall — my favorite was former state Rep. Jess Stairs’ maple candy.
As I got older I discovered an interest in the political process and the love of politics stuck.
But I realize now that I may be an exception.
The biggest misconception is that one person’s vote doesn’t really matter. Now I am horrendous at math, but try and stick with me on this one.
In Somerset County, officials are expecting a 25 percent voter turnout which will equate to about 11,463 voters. If you assume that there is an equal number of voters for each party then there are about 5,731 people casting a ballot in each party.
So let’s say that there is an underdog candidate. If everyone who stays home and believes “they’re vote doesn’t count” casts a ballot for the underdog, they would win. (even a math dimwit can figure that one out.)
Maybe the people who stay home are upset because there is not a candidate they want to support. If all of those people wrote someone in, instead of voting for the person on the ballot, the write-in candidate would win.
Elections often come down to a few hundred people. I’ll admit that sometimes I have voted for the lesser of two evils, but at least I made my voice heard about the direction I believe things should go.
So I urge people to really consider voting in Tuesday’s Primary. Educate yourself on the candidates. And education doesn’t mean watching 500 political ads that play between your favorite shows. Research what candidates actually say and actually stand for.
One of my friends considers his political view as “Does it matter ?? Really they are all liars.” And often, he is unfortunately correct.
But politicians have been born out of grassroots efforts for change. If you don’t like your choices start groups of like-minded individuals to try and get new people with fresh ideas elected.
I realize that my writing will fall on proverbial deaf ears to the people that have no interest in politics. But like one vote can make a difference if one person decided to cast a vote Tuesday then it worked.
These people make decisions that impact our daily lives and they should be held accountable. It doesn’t matter what any poll says because the one that really counts is Tuesday.
In Monday’s Daily American. I will have a story that outlines all the contested races in Somerset County. Please take the time to cast a vote. Because it really does matter.
And I promise, next week I will get off my soapbox and talking about something a bit lighter.