By Alexander Rodriguez, Editor-in-Chief
With the 2024 Presidential Election being only a couple months away, the importance of voting can not not be stressed enough. Yes, there is an evident importance to go and vote for this particular election, but also what about all of the other elections?
Voting empowers us as everyday citizens to be able to get our voices heard. We, through the act of voting, can create change as well for the overall community and for our personal day to day life. Voting is a private action, in which you can choose a candidate that best aligns with your values and beliefs as a person to create change in the community, country, or even world.
Often we are blinded by the big election every four years, but forget the importance of the primary or general elections. These elections tend to be the best chance for community and individual impact. In the primary elections, this is the chance to pick the people that most align to your beliefs and values. There are three rounds of primary elections, the first being a widely open variety of people campaigning and voters have the choice to vote on any of those options. In the second it is more closed, by only being able to vote within the party you are affiliated with. Lastly, there is the “nonpartisan” primary. This allows you to vote for candidates from different parties, ultimately the candidates that lead these will be on the ballot for the general elections.
In the general elections, we get the chance to vote on federal, state, and local officials. These start to directly impact our everyday community by getting in office the people that best follow your own beliefs. There are local and state elections that are happening every year, congressional elections take place every two years, and presidential elections happen every four.
With all of this, it goes without saying, voting is important. Every vote counts, whether your candidate wins or loses it shows the country what we believe in. Sometimes elections come down between only a couple of votes. This election year is certainly an important one to make sure your voice is heard, but this does not mean your voice needs to be shared with friends and community. All that is important, is that you vote in what you believe in and that you find certainty in what you believe is best. Go vote.
A link to help make sure you are registered to vote: https://vote.gov/
A link to help understand the voting process: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Voter_Toolkit?_wcsid=C89C6D648991BA28CCF2E47C6A651EC5D9FF8E691117628C
Photo from: Richland County South Carolina https://richlandcountysc.gov/Government/Departments/Voter-Registration-Elections
The Saint 