Polls Close at 7 Go Vote

***Note: In this post I will refer to “local” on several occasions. By local, I am focusing on not only the community you live in, but the state as well. Simply put, local is the city and state in which you reside.***

I’m quite frightened  by the number of people who are refusing to vote during today’s election. To say the least, it’s not a popular election year in Virginia or in many other states throughout the country.  In Virginia, there are no major Senate or House of Representatives seats up for election. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General office elections are still two years away. What is up for grabs are county seats and State Senate seats.  From everyone I’ve talked to so far, most people are not planning on voting because they “have nothing to vote for.” This is false and dangerous thinking.

In my opinion, it is the local elections that are more important than the national elections.  The people who are elected to your local offices are the ones who have the greatest impact on your daily life. Yes, national elections can determine the national tax rate, whether or not stimulus money will be given to the states and whether bills will be passed to create thousands of new jobs. However, the local officials determine which counties and areas get the money, jobs and overall top priority.

I was following several different stories on Twitter this afternoon and people from a particular county here in Virginia were begging their followers, neighbors and co-workers to vote. As one tweeter put it, “We need new libraries in the East End just like the West End.” 

There continues to be a large discrepancy between minority neighborhoods and majority neighborhoods in the same county. Usually, there is one group that is gaining all the resources while the other suffers.

Local officials determine how county resources are divided and what will get built where. The national election cannot solve the problems in your backyard. GO VOTE! If you need a new school in your locality, vote for the official who you will believe provide you with that school. President Obama and Congress cannot build the school for you. What they can do is allocate money to the localities for school, but local officials will determine where the school will be built.

Local officials determine the zoning laws where you live. Want more or less Wal-Marts, Targets and Family Dollars? Vote. Vote. Vote. If you think that your locality could use more low-income housing, vote for your LOCAL officials.

Whatever you do, treat this election like the 2008 Presidential Campaign and show up to vote. Polls close at 7, you still have time.

If you are suspect voter fraud or need to report a problem at your polling place, visit this website for information on the proper procedure.

Signed,

Laniece D. Williams