Do not vote blindly or by name recognition

WE THE PEOPLE have been abandoned by our elected representatives. It matters not which side of the political aisle your ideals fall; we can all agree that our elected public servants should represent the views of their constituents. A public servant is just that, a servant. They are employed by us. Change in the political sphere can only be obtained by starting at the local level. Its high time our representatives are held accountable by us. When we try to contact our public servants they are obligated, by job description, to respond. They must hear and heed our concerns.

Secondly, the public needs to take the initiative to inform themselves. Do your own research. Start by knowing your rights. Know the Constitution that is the Supreme law of our great country. Next, know your state constitution. These two documents do not limit the people, they limit our government. Third, know your candidates. Many candidates forums could be held and the select few that attend are the same few that always attend. Those few attendees are well informed and vote accordingly. The vast majority is ill informed and vote blindly or by name recognition alone. We aren’t electing Prom king and queen. The candidates that we elect to public office make daily decisions that affect our everyday lives and the lives of future generations. It is imperative that we know and understand our candidates. It is not enough to know the stance of our candidates on any particular issue. They can believe what they want but it matters not if they don’t have the conviction to stand up for their beliefs. Saying one thing to your face and then folding under pressure is lying. They lie to your face and then ask for your money and your vote. We need integrity, honesty, moral conviction, and transparency from our representatives.

Get educated. Vote educated. Stand up for your self and your rights. Hold your public servants accountable.

Bradyn Harvey