This year’s Primary Election Day is May 5, and early voting is underway – This year is the election for THE most local of races and the May 5 Primary Election is important. In most communities throughout the region, you will vote in nonpartisan elections to finalize who will be on your November ballot for mayor, city council members, township trustees, and school board members. These races are very important for the well-being of your community and to YOUR lives and those of your families.
Making your voice heard is a right – and a responsibility – that every Franklin County voter should take very seriously. The decisions you make will have far-reaching and long-lasting impact on your life, and the lives of your family members, community, and region.
I see, read, and hear the excuses people give for not voting. And while I understand the frustration many feel with government, to give in to any of these excuses would be to give in to apathy, to dishonor the men and women that have fought and died for this privilege and to abdicate our responsibility as citizens of the greatest republic the world has ever known.
Here are some reasons I hear most often – and my responses.
I’m too busy. I don’t have time. It’s not convenient.
Ohio offers no-excuse absentee/early voting. Request an absentee ballot form online (vote.franklincountyohio.gov), fill it out, sign it, and mail it in. The Board of Elections will mail your ballot to you. Vote your ballot and mail it back. You can vote any time, from your home. You can also vote early in-person at the Franklin County Board of Elections, 1700 Morse Rd, or you can vote at your polling place on Primary Election Day, May 5.
I don’t like the candidates. They’re all the same. They’re all crooks.
Often times when a voter says, “I don’t like the candidates,” he/she really means, “I don’t like SOME of the candidates.” You may dislike a particular candidate, but there are other candidates and issues also being voted on. Remember, this year’s election impacts your life daily and directly. Municipal, school district, and judicial officials are the people who provide our direct services, oversee our safety forces, enforce our laws, educate our children, and dispense our justice. Just because you don’t like a particular candidate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t choose your local leaders and decide local issues.
My vote doesn’t matter.
Yes, it does. Tax levies and local races are routinely decided by a handful of votes. Stay away from the polls and you let someone else’s vote trump yours.
I don’t know where my polling place is.
You can visit the Board of Elections website, or call them, for your current polling place location.
I don’t have transportation.
Many candidates and both major political parties will make arrangements to pick you up and take you to vote, either early or on Election Day. Also, many churches and other places of worship, neighborhood groups and others will help you with transportation. And don’t forget – you can always vote by mail.
I can’t take time off work to vote. I don’t have childcare for my kids while I vote.
Vote early by mail. You can do it from home. You can also take your children with you to the voting location. Whether you vote early by mail or at your polling place on Election Day, consider including your kids in whatever method of voting you choose. Begin to make voters for the future by showing your kids it is a responsibility you take seriously.
The lines to vote are long. The machines don’t work right.
Most voting locations in Franklin County have very short wait times for voting. We have invested in state of the art voting machines. These machines are accurate and very easy to use. And remember, you can always vote by mail from your home.
Voting is your voice and your power. Choosing not to vote is choosing to give up that voice, and giving that power to others.
Don’t be silent. Don’t give up your power.
Vote.
Marilyn Brown
President, Franklin County Board of Commissioners
