By Brian Knox | Published Sunday, September 14, 2008
Stop reading this column right now - actually at the end of this paragraph - and grab one of those big red permanent markers you have stashed away in one of your desk drawers, go to your calendar and put a big circle around Monday, Oct. 6; Monday, Oct. 20; and Tuesday, Nov. 4. Be sure to come back and read the rest of this column. I'll explain in a minute.
Go on. I'll wait. That's what's great about newspapers - you can always pick up right where you left off.
Hi again. Looks like you got a little red ink stain on your hand. That's OK, it's not that permanent.
So why did I have you do that little drawing exercise? Because those dates you circled are the three most important dates in setting the course of our country's, and our county's public policy, for the next four years.
I know that sounds a little dramatic, but it is true when you think about it. I'll explain.
If you aren't registered to vote, that first circled date is for you. Oct. 6 is the deadline to register to vote in the general election Nov. 4, also known as circle number three.
If you want to avoid what will surely be long lines at the voting booth this year, then circle number two is for you. Oct. 20 is the first day of early voting.
So why should you care about these three dates? Here's three reasons:
- Presidential race - You may not have heard much about this one - oh, you have? Well then you probably know that both candidates are making a lot of claims about being THE candidate of change, even though they both have very different ideas about what that change means.
Whichever side of the political divide you find yourself on, there is one thing everyone can agree on. This election will be about historic change, even if the person elected doesn't follow through with his campaign promises (surely that would never happen, right?) But we will either have the first African-American president or the first female vice president. By voting, you are guaranteed to be part of history.
- Local races - If you want change, then the local races are for you as well. Of the 10 local races, we are guaranteed to have at least five new people take office next January in the offices of district attorney, county attorney, Precinct 1 commissioner and constable in Precincts 3 and 4.
County attorney and the two constable races have already been decided since the races did not draw Democratic challengers. But voters will choose between Danny White (R) and Jim Popp (D) for Precinct 1 commissioner and Greg Lowery (R), Gerald Hartley (D) and Clinton Phillips (I) for district attorney.
Voters will also have choices to make for Precinct 3 commissioner and Precinct 1 constable.
- Weatherford College branch campus - Here's another ballot item where change is guaranteed. Voters will decide whether they are in favor of a 5-cent tax for a new Weatherford College branch campus for Wise County. A "for" vote means the construction of a new campus which can handle both the present and future student population growth and needs. An "against" vote will most certainly mean the closing of the current education center in Decatur since the building is already nearing capacity and the lease will soon expire. If voters don't approve a new campus, Weatherford College will not renew the lease on the current building.
These are just some of the choices that await you at the ballot. Change is happening, but you, the voter, are in control of that change.
Who we vote for matters, but what matters most is that we vote.
That's how change gets made, and it starts by paying attention to those three circles.
For information on how to register to vote, or to make sure your information on your voter registration card is current and correct, call the voter registration office at (940) 627-3656 or the Wise County Elections Office at (940) 626-4453.
