To the editor:
You may have heard that our Democracy is in crisis, in peril of falling. And it is. Trump’s constant attacks on voting rights, due process, free speech, and the Constitution itself, have all taken a toll.
But he hasn’t won just yet. People all over the country and here in Lincoln County are taking to the streets and using their voices to protest, but that will not be enough to save Democracy. We have to get out there and vote.
There is an election on May 20. If history is any guide, most of you reading this will not cast a ballot. Even in big regular elections our voting turnout rates are low, with nearly a third of eligible voters sitting it out. This is how Democracy dies, it dies from indifference and apathy. When people say my vote doesn’t matter or it will make no difference, then fewer and fewer people are deciding elections and our future. The truth is every vote matters.
Consider the issues that our local governments are facing right now. The Lincoln County commission is in disarray and at odds with the district attorney’s office. Waldport, Toledo and Depoe Bay city councils are all facing upheavals. All these positions were decided by a handful of votes in elections with very low turnouts. Bond measures are critical to funding our schools, roads and parks affect all of our residents. But most people don’t vote on them.
We cannot afford to stay silent any longer. The budget cuts to NOAA, the park service, the VA, and social security have been made possible because people didn’t get out and vote. It is everyone’s responsibility.
This year, more than ever, we need to get out and vote. Ballots and voter guides are arriving this week. We can turn the tide, if we are to get the turnout up to 80 to 90 percent that would be amazing. To get there everyone needs to vote, they need to call their friends to remind them to vote.
Vote by May 20. Every election, every ballot, matters to all of us.
- Mike Kloeck/Newport
