We urge each of our readers to mark a ballot carefully, choosing candidates based on their qualifications and response to issues, not solely according to their party affiliation, and voting “yes” or “no” on constitutional amendments, initiatives, bonding issues and local questions after studying their ramifications thoroughly.
The United States is fighting a global war on terror and a divisive war in Iraq; at home there are vital issues to be decided, sobering questions and much controversy surrounding possible answers. This year, more than most, it seems, Americans have opinions and aren't shy about voicing them. The ballot box is our bullhorn.
Peer pressure, if nothing else, should make voting in this election a matter of pride. Young people, in particular, are expected to turn out in droves. Campaigns to encourage registration and voting are expected to yield unusually high turnouts.
Political activism, expressed in its most basic form, at the polls, seems to be the "in" thing as this too-close-to-call presidential campaign nears an end. Democrats, Republicans, MTV, groups representing the elderly, union members, African-Americans, baby boomers, teenagers and Gen Xers have their own versions of "get out the vote" campaigns. Web sites sponsored by individuals and groups with diverse agendas, from the Dixie Chicks to the Council of Churches, are urging their followers to vote.
The points they make are valid: The people running our country and this state have a direct impact on how you live - whether you have a job and how much it pays, how safe you feel, what kind of education you and your children get. As the http://www.rockthevote.com Web site, aimed at students, emphasizes, voting is the only way to get politicians to notice you and act in your interests.
Utahns have many good reasons to vote Tuesday. They will choose a new governor, an attorney general, an auditor and a treasurer, a U.S. senator and three members of Congress, half the State Senate and the entire state House of Representatives. Seven seats on the State Board of Education will be filled.
They will decide three proposals to amend the Utah Constitution, a sobering consideration by itself. They will vote on an initiative to raise taxes statewide to protect open space.
County councils and commissioners will be named, as will local school boards. Voters will decide whether to retain judges from the state Supreme Court to district courts to juvenile courts, and they will vote on local tax questions and issues such as fluoridation of water.
It's a familiar refrain that informed voting is a right and a responsibility. This year, as every year, it's also true.
