Letter to the Editor: It's never too late to acquire voting habit, says reader

To the Editor:

Living on the west coast the voters have a problem of feeling rejected or unimportant as the electoral process doesn’t count the individual votes and so far too many of us stay at home and don’t vote. I can remember driving home from work and hearing the radio telling me that the national press has determined by exit polls that we have a new president. We need to try harder to break our old habits and vote, because there are other races that are important. Many of these races are important and I believe that it is very important for us to study the issues and the candidates to determine who or what deserves your vote! I believe that each of us has a responsibility and duty to vote! It is important for us to be setting an example for family and friends and to be able to talk about who and what you voted for. Unfortunately something or someone guided us toward our habit of not exercising our right to vote. It’s never too late to start a new habit of voting each and every time there is an election!

Just stop and think of people in other countries that risk danger to get to the polls to cast their votes. All we have to do is take a short drive or put a stamp on the ballot’s envelope. Our children and grandchildren need to have us be good role models!

I could list a lot of elections that have been settled by one vote but I will just list one that was embarrassing for me and costly to the school district. My wife forgot to vote and the special levy failed by one vote!

Gerald W. Ray

Spokane