EDITORIAL: Get informed - and then vote
It’s almost here — the day we’ve all been waiting for — the day AFTER Election Day!
But before we can breathe a sigh of relief that the campaigns have come to an end — with their incessant advertising, blatant lies and endless blather — there’s something we all must do: Make an informed decision and VOTE.
That’s a two-pronged proposition, by the way. Voting is important, yes, but do we really need or want uninformed voters making vital decisions about the future of this country? Unfortunately, that’s just what we get in many cases. You only need to watch those highly revealing TV interviews with passers-by about the basic facts of U.S. history, government and politics to know that many citizens over the age of 18 have no idea what they are talking about. Funny, but very sad — and dangerous.
As Thomas Jefferson said in 1821, “No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity.”
That’s why we encourage everyone who intends to vote to do more than listen to TV advertising or listen to the partisan pundits who think they know more than you do.
As you may have noticed, the Daily Inter Lake does not endorse candidates for public office. There are two reasons for that. First, we salute everyone who participates in the electoral process as a candidate, and second, we think the voters are smart enough to make their own decisions.
Our job has been to provide information to you, and we’ve done that with dozens of election stories over the last several months. You can still read all our local election coverage at http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_elections.
If you haven’t already, please do so before you vote.
Which brings up another interesting phenomenon — early voting. We’ve remarked before on the danger of this fad, and that repeated warning seems to have been borne out this year. Less than two weeks before Election Day, but after more than 20 million Americans had already voted, the FBI told Congress that one of the two major candidates for president was under investigation for a national security breach.
Please don’t treat voting like a convenience, and don’t take it for granted. Treat it like your solemn obligation as a citizen, and make sure your vote counts by getting all the information you can before you vote.