Most everyone wants to have a voice in how they are governed, but complain that they have little direct influence on government. That's not exactly true. There is a lot an individual can do to effect political change and to shape both the composition and direction of local government.
Casting a ballot gives individuals the means to participate in the political process and to play an active role in government. Unfortunately, many citizens who should vote don't do so. It is painfully obvious, particularly in off-year elections, that a majority of registered voters ignore the opportunity and the obligation to vote. The result is government chosen by the minority. In some elections, returns show, officeholders are elected by 30 percent -- sometimes considerably less -- of eligible voters.
Those who do vote do far more than their civic duty; they also earn, in a direct way, the right to grumble. Those who do not vote forfeit the chance to participate in the political process. Consequently, they have no one to blame but themselves when political and governmental decisions don't suit them.
For years, it was convenient to excuse one's failure to vote by saying that Election Day was inconvenient, or that something came up at the last minute on the one day set aside for people to go to the polls. That excuse -- and that is what it was in most instances -- is no longer valid. The increasingly popular practice of early voting, which begins Wednesday and continues for two weeks, provides a broad time frame in which those determined to cast a ballot can do so.
Surely even the busiest among us can find the few moments in takes to vote at some point during that extended period. The Hamilton County Election Commission has made it easy to do so. There are three convenient locations at which to vote early in the May 4 Hamilton County primary election.
Early voting stations open Wednesday and will remain open through April 29 on every day except Sundays. Voters can cast ballots at the Election Commission office, located at 700 River Terminal Road just off Amnicola Highway, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The Brainerd Recreation Center, 1010 North Moore Road, and the Northgate Mall site, located next to the Science Theater, are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the early voting period.
Government and democracy work most efficiently when those who cherish both fully participate in the political system. Early voting significantly increases participation. It clearly has done so here in local, state and federal elections since the option has been available. That is a gratifying sign that people, given both the opportunity and the time to vote, willingly participate in government by making their own choices about those who will represent their interests and serve their needs in government.