WHY I LOVE TO VOTE
I don’t just like to vote. I LOVE to vote…I have since the first time I voted, forty-seven years ago. I still remember the feeling I experienced as I waited in line and then heard my name repeated between the poll workers at the registration table. I thought, that’s me! I’m voting! (I even loved wearing the “I Voted” sticker the poll worker gave me on my way out!) Those of you who have voted, and those of you who will, know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a special understanding and pride you feel when you vote: “I am exercising my right, my privilege as a US citizen. I am making a contribution to my country.” When you look around your poll, you can see the same recognition among your neighbors and friends who, like you, have shown up to vote—and you realize you are part of a special group of people.
Since I cast my first vote those many years ago, I’ve never missed an election yet. And each time is like the first—those feelings of commitment and pride return…so does the knowledge that each mark I make will make a difference. I’ve known many elections that have been won or lost by just a few votes. But don’t take my word for it—just ask the voters from the 1960 JFK election…or the Greenbriar and Wood County voters in 2008…or the school bond levy voters across WV many times. As I step into the voting booth this November 8, 2016, I will remember those close calls, and I will remember the candidates, national, state and local, who work tirelessly, and often thanklessly, to represent us and our concerns in West Virginia.
Please don’t miss out on this tremendous opportunity and privilege. Vote on November 8. Not registered to vote? With ID and social security number handy, register in one of the following ways BY 4:00 p.m. OCT 18:
Online: ovr.sos.wv.gov (or google how to register to vote in wv);
By mail: Download Register to Vote form and mail to Tucker County Clerk, 215 First St, Suite 3, Parsons 26287
In person: County Clerk’s office, DMV or Armed Services Recruitment Office
At special events with onsite voter registration (Democratic Rally & Concert, Creature Art Gallery, 232 East Ave, Thomas, WV on Friday, August 26, 5:30-8:30)
As you walk into your polling station on November 8, as you hear your name repeated, and as you draw the curtain behind you and face your ballot, feel the pride and awe in what you are doing for your country and fellow citizens and say to yourself, THIS IS AWESOME!
Linnie Spence
Davis, WV
