Please vote: Bickering over voter laws aside, it is very important to vote

Even though the battle is continuing over the voter laws in North Carolina and courts are still trying to decide if the rules actually harm minority voter participation, the bottom line is still the same.

Voting is important.

And that, among other reasons, is why it is so important to not only get the vote out, but also to make sure it is done fairly and that those who cast ballots take it seriously.

Voting is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Cheating on voter registration or casting a vote without even really researching the candidates involved is nothing short of unacceptable.

It is an insult to the men and women who lost their lives preserving the freedoms that we so often take for granted these days.

It is not a lot to ask to require voters to provide identification or to follow the rules when it comes to qualifying to cast a ballot.

But it is also critical that as many Americans as possible take part in this, the most vital of opportunities to have a say in their government.

So let the politicians argue about semantics.

Let's head to the polls this fall and have our say. It is a right we should cherish.

Published in Editorials on October 7, 2014 10:59 AM