Scioto Candidate Josh Lawson: Your Vote Matters

 

Many people seek change. They have new, better opinions and ideas they fervently support, yet as the old saying goes, “Talk is cheap.” The meaning of this idiomatic expression is that it doesn’t cost anyone to say something, and the real difficulty is in doing it. This is a perceived truth all too evident during elections.

How important is the act of voting? Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy once said: "The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”

The simple act of casting a vote – the most basic act of citizenship – can support and even help effect important change. One would think all Americans over the age of 18 would vote as a civic duty; however, according to the Pew Research Center, only 55.7 percent of the U.S. voting age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election.

Voter turnout numbers in the United States are quite low compared to other developed nations. In August 2016, the Pew Research Center ranked the U.S. 31st out of 35 countries for voter turnout based on the voting age populace among the mostly democratic nations that are a part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Stats on U.S. voter registration tell a similarly shocking story. The Census Bureau recorded that there were roughly 245.5 million Americans who were eligible to vote in 2016, but only 157.6 million of eligible voters were registered to vote. The United States Election Project had similar findings, estimating apathy slightly higher: 46.9 percent of eligible voters did not vote that election. Many Americans simply do not take the effort to learn the voting process, as some see it as a burden.

Participating in elections is one of the key freedoms of American life. It is the right and privilege of U.S. citizens to vote for the betterment of society. Moreover, voting is the duty of every citizen in a democracy. It guarantees people have the opportunity to make their voices heard, and it safeguards individual liberty.

As elected officials have the power to control lives and take money from wallets, all Americans have a great stake in the outcome of free elections. Thus, their votes have a very significant effect on community and county decisions. In order to be properly managed, the affairs of these political divisions must rest in the hands of the capable and trusted leaders elected at the polls.

Too many Americans sit on the sidelines during elections, especially during midterm or off-year elections. Apathy is the enemy of the true voice of the people. Such indifference derails this essential component of a successful democracy.

Those who doubt registering and casting a vote are so important need only imagine living in a foreign country where such rights are denied. Or, these doubters can look back in time and consider the corrupt inequality in the U.S. when literacy tests and poll taxes were blatant forms of discrimination barring Blacks and other minorities from voting in Southern states.

One such important call to action is at hand. All eligible people in Scioto County should cast a ballot in the November 2022 election. Let's all be sure to vote in this critical race.

Josh Lawson, candidate for Scioto County commissioner, is running on a platform of innovation, collaboration, and recovery. He is focused on many intersecting social concerns of the county such as poverty, homelessness, and economic exploitation – all issues of what he calls “a collective trauma” that has devastated the region for decades.

Lawson is asking for your vote in the upcoming election. He points out that of the roughly 58,000 eligible voters in Scioto, only 46,000 are currently registered to vote, and, on average, only 28,000 of those registered actually turn out to the polls. Where is the majority in the total population of 74,000 residents? He believes they need to be better represented.

Josh Lawson urges every citizen to vote in the election this fall. To help accomplish this monumental task, he is leading a drive to register as many new voters as possible because he understands the need for change and the importance of those who will wage the good fight against this lingering trauma. He believes success takes cooperation among all people of every strata in the county.

Lawson is asking for one action from Scioto citizens. He calls on all residents to “stand up for themselves, cast their ballots, and make their voices heard.” He says the only real challenge is “to overcome the social apathy that has propped up the status quo in Scioto County for far too long.”

So, Josh Lawson summarizes his campaign appeal with a question: “Will the real Scioto County majority please stand up?” The election is near, and the definitive answer will be given as people cast their ballots. Good luck, Josh. Your aim is true.