Voting Breaks The Wave

Participation by the citizens of a community in elections is one of the most wondrous of responsibilities. It involves looking, listening and learning. Looking around to see what are the needs where you live. Listening to be able to hear the concerns of the region. Learning so that the priorities are properly established about issues and candidates to know how to vote. The right to vote will depend on the ability to exercise this responsibility.

We are driven by standards passed to us by family, country, and beliefs. These beliefs sit at the core of our being. Some have been moved by literature such as, Peter Parker’s Spiderman who is driven by the words of his Uncle Ben that told him, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Others are moved by faith, like the followers of Jesus who are guided by the words of Luke 12:48, which say, “To whom much is given, much is required.” When there is conflict between our standards and our goals challenges and disagreements persist.

In 2021, several states passed laws making revisions to elections conducted in them. All of these states were reacting to the defeat of the previous president even though there was record voter participation in 2020. After numerous examinations by several groups, it was determined that there were no widespread incidents of voter fraud, which was often cited, to inspire many of these revisions.

The state legislature is one of the most important and influential bodies when it comes to the daily life of citizens in the United States. The laws and rules decided upon in this body have almost immediate impact on daily life. If the state legislature decides and the governor signs, it only takes months before what has been decided goes into effect. The ripple created by each one of the legislatures decisions comes to shore in our life like a full-blown tidal wave if we do not prepare the coast of our lives for them.

The Georgia State Legislature gave the State Election Board the power to take over the work of local election boards that are deemed to be operating poorly. The idea that when something is not working in the right way then it should be fixed is not a bad one. Changing the rules because you lost is a bad decision. The rules in place for the elections of 2022 made it apparent that bad decisions can be overcome by voter participation. Voter participation acted as a breaker for the wave created by the revisions of 2021. As a citizen in this community, take the time to look, listen and learn about who is, and who should be, representing you on every level of government.

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