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Get Out and VOTE!By Kathleen Jones
“It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become the prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.” -- John Philpot Curran: Speech upon the Right of Election, 1790.
But what does this have to do with us here at Local 4319? Simply this. Too many Americans have fallen into the bad habit of letting someone else make important decisions for them. By not registering and not voting, a very large percentage of this country’s population allows a relative few to decide what laws will be enacted, who will govern their cities, their states, and their country. These are the “indolent” that Curran refers to, who give up their rights – in this case, the right to vote – and in essence becomes little more than second class citizens. This trend of allowing others to decide the direction our country takes must stop. That old excuse of “My one vote won’t make any difference” should be thrown out the door once and for all. The recent presidential election, in which the Supreme Court stepped into the political ring and effectively chose the winner, should serve as a glaring reminder that each and every vote does count. With as many closely contested states as there were in that election, just one or two additional votes – one way of the other – in each precinct across the country would have created a vastly different outcome. We at Local 4319 want to encourage all of our members and their families who are registered voters to be sure to go to the polls this November. And those of you who are not registered, we would like you to go out, register, and VOTE! According to the AFL-CIO, at least one-third of all union members are NOT registered to vote. CWA members are no exception. In California, only 53% of CWA’s members are registered voters, while in Georgia the number is 49%. Ohio CWA members are only a little better, at 57%. How these numbers add up is shown in the state of New York, where only 59% of CWA members are registered. In actual numbers, this means there are approximately 35,000 members, not to mention family members, whose voices cannot be heard. This is just one union in one state. Imagine what the numbers are like across country! In order to vote in the November general election, you must be registered by October 7th. If you are going to be out of town on election day, file an absentee ballot. VOTING IS EMPOWERMENT!VOTING IS YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!DON'T LET SOMEONE ELSE MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU!
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John Philpot Curran (1750-1817) was an Irish statesman and orator, a champion of his people during a time when his country was ruled by an oppressive British government. Among the rights he fought for was Catholic Emancipation. You see, during that time in Ireland’s history, those who followed the Catholic faith were prohibited from participating in any form of government. This included voting. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see the parallels between these events and the Civil Rights movement in our own country.