On Tuesday, November 4th, Americans will go to the polls and elect the next president of the United States. Every four years it's the same ol' story: vote or don't vote. Some people believe that by not voting, they are making a choice or a statement. However, voting is not just about candidates; it's about responsibility, freedom and the American way.
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Kathryn Neely, Elections Administrator for Gregg County.
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Women didn't always have the right to vote. Women's suffrage activists, such as Susan B. Anthony, dedicated their lives to peacefully fight for equal rights for all women. Anthony traveled the United States and Europe, giving 75 to 100 speeches per year on women's rights for some 45 years. Suffrage for females in America was a 70- year struggle that started with a convention in Seneca Falls, New York and finally ended in 1920, when the Nineteenth amendment to the Constitution was passed. For her strength and dedication, Anthony was honored as the first real American woman on circulating U.S. coinage with her appearance on the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
Before running to the polls, remember to register first. To be eligible to register to vote in Texas there are three prerequisites: you must be at least 18 years old on Election Day, not a convicted felon (unless sentence, probation and/or parole are completed) and not declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law. Once eligible you can obtain an application, available at the post office, library or many other places around town. Read the instructions, fill it out and mail it in to the county Voter Registrar office at least 30 days before an election in order to vote in that election. Now you are officially able to vote in local, state and national elections held in the months of March, April, May and November.
In the last presidential election, 8 million women registered, but did not vote. Another 36 million potential female voters were not registered at all. With this marking the 88th year of women's right to vote, let's make Susan B. proud. Vote.
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Kathryn Neely is the Elections Administrator for all of Gregg County. Her office registers all eligible voters living in the county and mails out updated and new Voter Certificate Cards, an ID required before placing a vote. The Elections office also conducts all state and national elections and help out with local elections, including city and school board.
It only takes one time to register to vote, and it's good for all elections forever, unless you move or change your name. Then, you need to re-register.
"Women need to have just as much representation as everyone else, especially since there are always issues that concern women," Kathryn said.
To illustrate her point, she turned to poll results in a recent Longview election.
"In May Longview ISD passed a $266 million bond by 16 votes. If 20 more people had voted, it could have changed everything," she said. "Your vote does count! If you didn?t vote, you have missed that opportunity."
For more information on voting, visit Kathryn's office located in the downtown Longview Courthouse, Room 112, or call (903) 236-8458.
