Walker: Voting: A Privilege, A Right or A Duty?

Editor’s Note: Written and submitted by Democratic First Selectman Candidate Joan Walker

Voting: A Privilege, A Right or A Duty?

For the last several days, many of you have seen volunteers and candidates from both parties waving signs at various places in Madison. This is a long and honored tradition.

We are not counting the waves or the honks, we are trying to make a quick impression and more importantly, we are trying to get you to remember to vote on Tuesday. Democracy is meant to provoke discussion, debate and compromise. But democracy can only happen if people show up.

The citizens of Madison are intelligent hard working individuals who deserve a voice in their government, but to get that voice you have to vote.

We are privileged to live in a country where the adult citizens are guaranteed the right to vote, yet the percentage of people who actually vote is usually very small. Budgets have passed with less than 8% turnout. The last municipal election had a 33.4% turn out. People are busy and their kids have crazy schedules but these numbers are disappointing to say the least.

I grew up in a household where there was no question about whether to vote – if you lived in my house, you voted. Even when we moved away, each of us kids would get a call the night before elections to remind us to vote the next day.

My mother worked at the polls until the year that she passed away. This was very personal for her and became personal for us.

My grandparents were immigrants from Italy and they were very proud when they became American citizens. One of my uncles, Anthony, signed up for the Army as soon as he turned 18. He felt it was his duty to fight for his country. He became a Green Beret who lost his life on a special reconnaissance mission in Italy during World War II.

To my mother, it was her duty to honor her brother by voting and making sure that process was carried out each year by working at the polls.

Whether you think voting is a privilege, a right or a duty, I ask you to think about all the men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms. Take the time out of your over-booked, busy schedules: honor them and vote.