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Health & Fitness

Why You Should Vote

Please Get Out and Vote Tomorrow - This Is Why It Is Important

Every four years, we have an opportunity to make a statement about what we think about our country and our leaders, both local and national. What values do you think we, as a nation should hold, and who, among the candidates for office, do you think will best uphold those values? Your vote is your chance to express your opinion on these lofty issues. PACs and the party political machines will attempt to influence your vote but you owe all of your fellow citizens the duty of informing yourself from a variety of sources and commentators before your vote is cast.

But what is the meaning of only one vote, you may ask? The short answer is that every vote is important in our system of government. Numbers count but you won’t count if you don’t vote. This country was founded on the ideal that all men have rights but they also have responsibilities. One of the responsibilities of a citizen in a democracy is to exercise your right to vote.

This right was not easy to come by. Our forebearers, our fellow citizens in history, fought and died to assure you this right. Today our military personnel – our sons and daughters - are still deployed overseas, putting their lives on the line for our political goals. While the toll of military dead and wounded continues to rise, the rest of us have gone on with our daily lives with little evidence or acknowledgment that we are at war overseas.

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Honor their sacrifices and do your duty as a citizen of this great country – please get out and vote tomorrow. If you need information about where to vote, please contact the Portsmouth Canvassing Authority at 683-3157.

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