COMMENTARY:
Stand Up And Be Counted! by Cathy Herrod

It’s one of those years again - a year in which Arizonans will go to the polls in September and November to elect a new United States President, a new Congress, and a new state legislature.

Yet as many as 35% of eligible Americans still are not registered to vote. Among church-going Americans, as many as 50% are not registered to vote.

Voting is critical to standing up for what you believe and for what matters, especially in this day and age. Simply put: if you do not participate in the democratic process, then you are giving your voice to someone else. That person may not agree with you on an issue you care about or on an issue that’s important to the well-being of your family.

Perhaps some feel their votes don’t make a difference. Not true. One vote saved the presidency for Andrew Jackson when he was impeached in 1868. Just one vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, or Texas would have changed the outcome of the 1960 presidential election of John F. Kennedy. In 1962, the governors of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota were all elected by a margin of one vote per precinct.

Right here in Arizona, 13 votes decided the Republican primary for Arizona House District 20 in 2004. Several other state primaries have been decided by margins of 32, 33 and 59 votes, and another race in 1992 ended in a tie. To resolve the tie, a game of poker on the House floor decided the winner!

This year, the stakes are high for you and your family, and your vote is more important than ever. Where we go as a state and as a country on numerous issues impacting our families is up for grabs.

With five of the current U.S. Supreme Court justices over the age of 70 by the November election, the next President could determine the composition of the Court for the next twenty or even forty years. That Court will likely decide many key issues that will affect your family, including the future of free speech, freedom of religion, the sanctity of human life, and the meaning of marriage.

The November elections will also be an important year to determine whether our state legislature will continue to be pro-life and pro-family and whether they will protect the rights of parents and our freedom of religion.

Now is the time to make your voice heard. Voting is important to you as an American. Our freedom to vote came at a price, and that freedom is continually protected by the many brave men and women of our military. We show our respect for their sacrifice when we exercise the right to vote.

To register to vote, visit www.azpolicy.org.

If you are registered to vote, consider registering other voters in your church, neighborhood, or school. The Center’s Southern Arizona Coordinator, Lynne St. Angelo is organizing voter registration throughout Southern Arizona.

Join the effort by contacting Lynne at lstangelo@azpolicy.org or call her at (520) 988-2005.

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Cathi Herrod is the President of the Center for Arizona Policy. For more information on the benefits of marriage and harms of divorce, check out CAP's free Guide to Family Issues available at www.azpolicy.org.

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