June 7, 2022

I did it… and it felt great! And, I hope you will do it. What am I talking about? Voting. In case you have been under a rock or haven’t gone through your mail in the last several weeks, today, June 7 is Primary Election Day. While a lot of focus typically is placed each year on the first Tuesday of November, today’s election is just as important. As I scrolled through the names of the different races I was casting my vote for, I was reminded of the famous quote attributed to former House Speaker Tip O’Neill when he said “All politics is local.”

 

I have often felt that too much of the limelight in politics is placed at the national level, instead of where our attention really should be placed… locally. Think about it for a moment… there are very few laws that are enacted in Washington, DC that actually impact our lives on a day-to-day basis. Most of the laws that are a part of our everyday life actually are reviewed, written, debated, voted on, and signed into law in Sacramento. And yet, we follow and watch the discussions and debates that surround national issues like gun control, tax laws, immigration, voter protection, and any number of other hot button topics. Please do not get me wrong… these issues are extremely important and should be studied, analyzed, and discussed based on their merits and how they can better our society. These issues (and more) that our nation is facing also show the rest of the world the values of our country.

 

I think that is why so much of the local and national media concentrate so much of their broadcasts to these issues. The challenge and problem with this, of course, is that by doing it, they are not able to spend a lot of time on the other issues that impact our lives on a daily basis. And sadly, because of this, we need to work harder to see what is being done in Sacramento or even at the county and city level. Today’s election reminded me of this fact and that I need to do a better job following these issues.

 

So take some time today and go out and vote. Not sure where your nearest polling place is, click here. And if you elected to vote by mail, find your ballot in your stack of mail, complete it and make sure to drop it off today by 8:00 p.m. at one of the secured ballot drop-off boxes. Not sure where one is, click here to find the one closest to you.

 

Remember, it was Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis who reminds us that, “The most important office[we can hold] is that of the private citizen.”

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