Voter interest: It is good to see more people making their voices heard

It is not such an easy thing these days to be interested in politics.

It is no wonder considering the incredibly disappointing performance of some elected officials and a real concern about the accuracy of the results and information they report. Add to that the busy lives most citizens lead, and you can sort of understand why the polling places are not as populated as they used to be.

But today, a primary day, plenty of people decided that they were going to make their voices heard.

The debate over the marriage amendment likely sparked the surge rather than a great concern over the names on the ballot, but it was nice to see nonetheless.

Americans should speak up, whenever they have an opportunity, to let their leaders know what they want done. And today, there were many people who wanted to let their leaders know what they thought about an amendment that would further define marriage in the state of North Carolina.

Many were for the adjustment, while others spoke against the change, but the point is, they did not sit back and let someone else decide. They made their voices heard.

That is what the democratic process is all about.

There are still not enough people voting -- and that is a shame. Perhaps this primary response will motivate more of those who leave the voting to others to make their voices heard later this summer and then again in the fall.

There will be many more important decisions to make as we prepare to choose the next round of leaders for this county, state and nation. And you certainly do not want to miss out on that.

After all, voting is not just a right. It is a responsibility to your community and future generations.

Published in Editorials on May 8, 2012 10:57 AM