Be part of the solution, vote

Every spring, voters across Wisconsin head to their polling places.

Or rather, on average only about one out of every four eligible voters bothers to head to the polls to cast their ballots in the spring elections. This number drops even lower in years without controversial statewide supreme court cases.

The approximately 3 million state residents who don’t bother to vote in the spring election in any given year, seem to be content with the decisions being made by members of county, municipal and school boards.

Either that, or they just don’t care unless the road project interrupts their daily commute or their children’s favorite teacher faces getting the axe due to budget cuts.

In big-budget action movies, the bad guys seeking to undermine American way of life might be over-the-top evil villains, alien invaders or cliched stereotypes of the enemy du jour. In real life, the forces that undermine democracy and with it the American way of life are more subtle, if not equally as sinister as anything Hollywood can dream up.

The true enemy of American democracy is apathy and the belief that one person’s vote is inconsequential. The only way to combat that enemy and fight for American freedoms is to vote.

Throughout the past two years there have been plenty of people complaining about the things local government has or hasn’t done. This was especially true with local implementation of COVID-19 rules. Plenty of people had opinions, especially when they were even mildly inconvenienced.

There is an old saying of “Put up or shut up.” The roots of the saying go back to when disagreements were more commonly settled with fists fights. A modern variation of that sentiment would be to “show up or shut up.” Choices are made by the people who show up. The ones who can’t be bothered with registering and voting blew their opportunity to have a direct impact on the future of their communities.

With so much riding on the elections, it is vital that all eligible voters make sure they show up to exercise their rights and vote. The first step in this is making sure you are properly registered.

Fortunately in Wisconsin this is an easy thing to do. You can go on-line to myvote.wi.gov and check your registration status or update your voting address. Voters can also check with their local clerk or register the day of the election provided they bring proof of their residency.

Voting is the only way individuals have a chance to help set the course for communities, schools, the state and the nation.