Voting Rational

If you are anything like me, you are anxiously awaiting the end of the campaign rhetoric.  During the evening news, I watched seven campaign ads in a row.  In each one, the candidate or a "surrogate" talked about negative attributes of the opposition candidate - of the seven ads, one candidate shared what she would do if elected at the very end of the ad.  I am not sure if I am feeling like the crow or the poor skeleton, but neither is in a very desirable position.

It feels like we are waiting for the bad or worse choice to be declared victorious at some point in time after November 8th........

......caught in the web spun by numerous campaign crafters.......

waiting for the vultures to deconstruct the polls once the cloud has somewhat lifted.  I know at this point it is very tempting to throw in the towel and say , "I am not voting!"  Before you do that, however, I would encourage you to think about what happening at your local level.

In many elections, school board candidates are included on the ballot at your polling location.  While it may seem futile to vote for the big players on the tickets, I strongly encourage you to think about the impact your vote has on the local school.   If you own property in your community, a substantial amount of money that you pay in property taxes goes to support your local public education system.  The people who are elected to your local school board play a significant role in the decision-making process for children in your community.  Even if you do not have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews in the local school district, your neighbors and fellow community members do. 

 Can you recall a terrible school board policy that was enforced while you, your children or your friend's children were in the system?  I sure can!  A poorly crafted policy or personal agenda candidate can make learning difficult for children, instruction challenging for teachers, or even force families to leave the system or district.

So, in the climate of vitriolic speeches, what can you do at the local level.  First, find out if your local school board has seat openings.  Many communities have a functional League of Women's Voters who provide information and many host candidate forums.  Call the office of the superintendent or the principal of the local school and ask if there is a school board election on the ballot.  Go into the internet and review the ballot at your polling location - does it have people running for school board?

Next - become informed.  It does not require massive research, but find out what the candidates represent.  Hot issues frequently center around reducing the achievement gap, free pre-school to prepare all children to be school-ready, and staff ethnicity mirroring student ethnicity.  Depending on the state you live in, al-day kindergarten may be a hot topic, or underfunded programs, like gifted education.

Which of these issues resonates with you?  You are spending a lot of money to support the children and the decision-makers who will be designing instruction priorities and programming - what do YOU value?

This is the reason to vote in the local election!  Kids need your support!