Voting is a right and a responsibility

Living in a democracy comes with responsibilities as well as rights. Usually, we focus on our rights and place a lesser emphasis on our responsibilities as members of a democratic government.

We consulted a U.S. Department of State publication, “USA Democracy in Brief,” for a summary of citizens’ rights vs. responsibilities.

In the rights column, it includes inalienable rights such as freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion and conscience, freedom of assembly and equal protection before the law.

In the view of Thomas Jefferson, people living in a democratic government are endowed with these “rights.” They are not granted by government and cannot be legislated away, he wrote.

In the responsibilities column are things like participation, civility and patience. It’s this part of the equation that rests upon us heavily now.

On Oct. 4, a handful of the Mat-Su Valley’s total registered voters will go to the polls and cast ballots for Mat-Su Borough Assembly, Mat-Su Borough School Board, Palmer City Council, Wasilla mayor, Wasilla City Council, Houston City Council elections and two borough-wide bond packages.

And during every election cycle we write some form of this editorial plea for people to participate in the process: register, educate yourself about the candidates and issues and vote.

You may choose not to vote and the vast majority of people don’t vote in any given election. Most recently, when Mat-Su Mayor Larry DeVilbiss was elected in January, about 1 in 10 registered voters met their responsibilities to vote. In a borough with about 59,593 registered voters, only 7,309 people took the time to meet cast their ballots.

Democratic government requires us to be active participants in the process of selecting those who will lead us and deciding issues that will impact our shared future, like whether now is the time to bond for new roads and schools.

The success of failure of our government rests with us. We have a responsibility to participate in our democratic government inherited from our forefathers and lent to us by our grandchildren.

Democratic government challenges us to look past our own views, differences and agendas and recognize that regardless of our religious or secular beliefs, we are all equal.

If you are registered, learn about the candidates, the issues and vote on Oct. 4. If you aren’t registered, it’s too late for this go-round, but go ahead and do it now so you are prepared to meet your responsibilities for the next election.

Our democratic form government means we’re all in this together, equally. We the people, working together, can leave this Valley better than we found it for our grandchildren. And isn’t that what we all want?