Vote! Make your voice heard this November
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Considering sitting out this November's General Election? There are plenty of people who feel either so fed up or so helpless and hopeless that they think the best option is to not vote. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Low voter turnout tends to lead to more extreme results; and a whole lot of people who remain unsatisfied AND had no say in the matter.
The solution isn't to sit out. It's to do your research and determine which candidates align most closely with the representation you want in local, state and federal government. It doesn't mean you're going to find a perfect match. (In fact, sometimes it means deciding how to vote based on who you do NOT want to see in office).
You don't have to vote straight ticket, either. No one is watching you vote. You can tell whatever story you want on social media later, if it will help you feel more comfortable around your friends.
It's also important to remember there are more than just people on our ballots. For example, Wood County has races for county, state and federal representation, sure. But West Virginians are also voting this year on Amendment 1, which "provides that in all elections held in West Virginia only citizens of the United States who are citizens of this state are qualified to vote."
A tiny percentage of those who are registered to vote in the Mountain State should not be making any of those decisions for the rest of us.
If you're feeling unprepared, Secretary of State Kris Warner has released this year's sample ballots, which can be found here: wv.omniballot.us/sites/54/ballot/app/sb/vr
Take advantage of the tool to dig deeper into the decisions those in your district will be asked to make this fall. (Your local newspaper is a fantastic place to start the research.)
There are all kinds of tools to make your voting process a little easier, at sos.wv.gov/govotewv.
Find out as much as you can; make what you think are the best decisions for you, your family and your community.
And then, once you have the information to cast a thoughtful ballot, go vote!