Be an “EVERY ELECTION” voter

               We are our choices. Sartre

When I taught it never ceased to amaze me that some students would miss quizzes, classes and/or assignments and then pretend that it didn’t matter.  By their thinking, “How much could missing one or two of these really hurt?”  At the end of the semester they would come to me dismayed that they weren’t doing very well.  How, they wondered, could they be doing so poorly?

As I would explain to students, being in class, completing all assignments to the best of their abilities (including doing the required reading and researching relevant materials) is their responsibility as informed students and engaged citizens of the class. Those steps were essential to completing the course.  Does that mean they were assured A’s? Sometimes, yes, though not always. It did, however, frequently make the difference between failing a course (and likely having to repeat it and pay for it again) and passing it.

As with students in a class, there is the responsibility for Windsor residents to be engaged as citizens  - with our local community, our state and our nation. In Windsor the number of people who vote in the national election is decent by some standards.  Decent, but not sterling.  Compare those numbers to mid-term elections, budget and other referenda votes and the numbers decrease significantly. Voters who only show up for Presidential elections are failing in their responsibilities as informed, engaged and fully participative citizens.  Referenda, town elections, mid-term elections are all part of the voter responsibility syllabus.  Being an “every election” voter is the homework.   Unlike most school endeavors the failure to participate doesn’t just impact the individual, it affects the collective building of our community and our community identity. Voting is our right AND our collective responsibility.

Get informed. (Do your homework!) Be responsible. Be an “EVERY ELECTION” voter.

windsorctvotes@comcast.net