Leonard at Large

Campaigns come to an end

The campaigning for the 2004 election has been going on for months -- even years.

Tuesday will be time to cast votes. We should know the results by the next day -- unless it is too close, then we will not know for some time. About half of the population will be celebrating and happy with the results. The other half will be disappointed and sad.

Naturally, I will be hoping that I will be among those considered on the winning side.

While we get tired of all of the advertisements about the election, we can be thankful that we do have an election. We do not appreciate our system as much as we should. We should be grateful for it. I will admit that there are times that I do not want to hear any more about the campaigns. I suppose what really turns a person off is all of the negative ads. Many prospective voters are disillusioned as a result of these ads and do not have any desire to vote.

The United States has demonstrated to the world, since it has become a country, that self rule will work in government. Many have said that this election is the most important election we have ever had. The results will determine our future for the next hundred years. We are at a crossroad. If it does not go right, it may mean that our system of selfgovernment will come to an end. I wish that I could be objective, but I cannot do that. I will have to admit that I have my own biases and do not understand why everyone does not think the same way as I. At the same time, others do not understand why I do not have the same opinions as they have. Still, we all have the opportunity to have our own opinions.

That is good.

The voter turnout is expected to be high this year. When I was talking to two people who will be working at the polls locally, both said they think that there will be a large turnout and they will be busy.

The secretary of state has said that he expects about two-thirds of the eligible voters to cast their ballots in the general election. Still, there needs to be an even larger turnout. I understand that things happen, such as getting sick, and some potential voters do not make it to the polls. Still, I have a difficult time understanding why people do not vote. With freedom comes responsibility. We have the freedom to vote, therefore we need to accept the responsibility to voice our opinions at the polls and in the democratic process.

The freedoms that we have have been made possible by a large number of men and women making sacrifices to preserve our freedom. There are those who want to take this freedom away from us. Men and women and families at present are making major sacrifices to preserve the freedom. In honor of those making sacrifices, we have this freedom to cast our votes.

The predicted turnout to vote is much better than it has been for many of the other elections. There have been some local elections with only about 12 percent of registered voters participating, Why does this happen? While I am glad that we have this freedom and all of the campaigning is a part of the election process, I get tired of the advertisements. Often I want to turn everything off until after the election.

I have made up my mind of how I am going to vote and most likely will not change my mind. The majority of potential voters have decided how they will vote as well. The various polls taken do not mean much in determining the expected results.

There is only one poll that counts, and that is the election results.

Still, there are 5 to 15 percent of the voters who have not decided how they are going to vote. Many of these will not make a decision until they cast their ballots.

It is this group that the candidates are trying to get into their camp.

Many people have the negative opinion that their votes do not count and it does not matter if they vote or not. This is not true. There have been many elections in which only one vote effected the outcome of the election. Your vote does count! The candidates on the local level are to be complimented for being a candidate and being willing to serve. To me, what makes for a difficult decision is when two candidates run for an office and I know both of them and respect each one.

Sometimes that happens and a difficult decision has to be made. The advantage is with either one voters will not go wrong.

Tuesday, Nov. 2, is an important day for our country.

It is a day that we all need to have the American Flag on display and fly it proudly. It all comes down to the voting on next Tuesday. Take the opportunity and fulfill your responsibility by voting.

The choice is yours -- and I hope it is the right one.