Voting is a right too often taken for granted or ignored

Of all the things Americans take for granted — and there are many — one of the most shocking continues to be the right to vote.

Voting in the United States is not a privilege. It is not a promise. For anyone who takes a few minutes to register, it is a right.

In nascent democracies, people travel for miles, spend hours in line — in some cases putting their very lives at risk — to cast a ballot. After doing so they proudly hold up a finger or hand that has been marked with indelible ink, the best way those nations have to combat ballot-box stuffing.

Here in the United States we have become so complacent that only a fraction of our citizens bother to register. Only a fraction of those who register bother to vote, even though early voting has extended the season to a accommodate our busy lives. And those relative few — perhaps a third of those eligible — who actually vote don’t leave the polling place with dyed fingers. Most of them take the “I voted” sticker they’re given and slip it into a pocket or purse, perhaps to give later to an amused child or to throw away after a decent interval.

The off-year scourge

Few elections are as neglected as off-year primaries, such as will be held tomorrow.

There are no county-wide issues on the ballot and many partisan races are not races at all — they’re uncontested. People living in those political subdivisions where there are no races and no issues have the only valid reason for staying home.

Many city residents have mayoral or city council races to decide. There’s a judgeship race for those living in the Girard Municipal Court jurisdiction. A number of local school districts, townships and fire districts have tax issues on the ballot and a few villages have electricity aggregation questions up for a vote.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Vindicator editors met with candidates in several races and issued endorsements based on those interviews.

Those endorsements include:

Warren Mayor: Doug Franklin

Warren President of Council: Bob Dean

Girard Mayor: James Melfi

Girard Municipal Court: Marty Hume

Youngstown 4th Ward Council: Mike Ray

Youngstown 5th Ward: Paul Drennen.

All of those are Democratic primaries. In many other cases, the primary will decide whose is elected, because no Republican or independent has filed for the November general election.

We urge anyone living in any subdivision where there is a race to make the minimal effort our society places on people to cast their ballots. Many of the races in the tri-county area were shown on the sample ballot page in Sunday’s Vindicator.

Taxing decisions

We also urge everyone living in areas where there are tax issues on the ballot to get to the polls. Whether you believe your township or school district is a careful steward of your tax dollars and has made a strong case for renewal or additional funding, or whether you believe cuts should or must be made, you have no valid complaint over the outcome if you don’t bother to vote.

While voting is unquestionably a right, it is also arguably a duty. At least if you want to preserve bragging or griping rights.