Glendale reader favors Howard for House in LD 27, but urges ‘just vote’

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OPINION —  I feel a need for pom-poms to get this message across. Had you seen me try out for cheer in 1970, you’d know that I have the voice but not the moves.

I am an optimist, one who honestly gets excited by the prospect of voting. I have voted in every general election since 1972. The only letdown I experienced was one year while standing in line to vote a winner in the presidential race was declared.  

That will never again occur.  

I was a poll worker in 2008 and decided that this year was a great time to repeat the experience. There have been elections that didn’t go my way, but I don’t question their integrity. 

Thomas Jefferson, a get-out-the-vote guy, is widely attributed as saying, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” I hate hearing folks say they’re not going to vote because it doesn’t matter. That’s about as smart as saying I’m not going to exercise because it won’t help anyway.  

Abraham Lincoln colorfully stated, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”  

Franklin D. Roosevelt explained, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

Education doesn’t come in the form of negative attack ads or catchy sound bites. I spent time putting together campaign flyers for Deborah Howard for state House of Representatives in Legislative District 27, and the final touch was a sticker that said “vote.”

If you receive campaign literature outlining a candidate’s stance on specific issues, that will help. Take the time to recall the lessons learned about propaganda. Candidates who play on our fear of harm to those we love want to trigger our emotions but not our intellect.  

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