Making your vote count

By Cecil Chandler
Feature Reporter
Published: November 2, 2008

Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in Print. Tomorrow is the big day when we all go to the polls to elect a new leader for this country. I sure hope you have done some serious thinking about who you are going to vote for.

So many people take very little time to consider how important an election really is. Think about it: The man who wins will run this country for the next four years, possibly eight.

This is a big deal!

Please don’t take this lightly. Take some time today and do some research on the candidates before casting your vote. So many people will say, “I am not going to vote because one vote will not make a difference.” Hold on a minute, I am sure a lot of people think that way. but they are wrong. You are voicing your right to vote and choose.

While you are having that second cup of coffee, now would be a good time to go online and do a little research on the candidates. When I look at a candidate, I consider several things: what the person stands for, his background, his love for his country and a person that puts his country first and politics second.

Don’t get left out in the cold. Make sure you vote in all of your local, state and national elections.

The Declaration of Independence, which was written in 1776, gives us certain rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

To me, that means living in a free country and having the right to vote for whomever you want to. This country is a strong country, so let’s keep it that way by exercising your right to vote.

Remember, the Constitution of the United States says “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” To me, that says it all, so let’s keep our democratic process alive and vote for the candidate of your choice.

Some of us will make the right decision while others will be misled by false advertisements. You still have a little time to learn about the candidates before voting and I will see you at the polls.

That’s it for another Cecil’s World in Print. I’ll see you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.