Monday, June 24, 2019

The vote

The vote is not just a freedom, but a responsibility. Candidates must move away from negative ads, rehearsed campaign speeches, packaged marketing and messages that shift with the minorities they are talking to. They need to be honest about their values and pragmatic in their means of applying them to legislation. They need to answer voters’ questions knowledgeably. This may be a lot to ask in today’s political climate, but there it is.


Voters have responsibilities, too. They must educate themselves about the candidates they are voting for, about their principles and their legislative records. They must look beyond self-interest to the good of the communities they belong to. They must write to their representatives on important issues. They must listen critically to all sides of an issue. They must support the candidates they believe in. This may be a lot to ask in this political climate, but there it is.

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