Town Hall: Pocono Record readers discuss why they vote
Last week, we asked readers what their motivation was for heading to the polls this November. We also asked what issues were most important to them.
Here's how you responded.
Vote to preserve Democracy
As a 76-year-old Navy veteran I believe our country is in trouble and voting for people that will preserve Democracy is the most important thing we can do because without the freedoms we enjoy it will be the beginning of the end of America as we know it. Candidates running for office need to stop the racist hate filled ads and tell us how they will help to make our country a better place to live for everyone. A house divided cannot stand Abraham Lincoln
Don Martin, Saylorsburg
Vote because you're a citizen.
The League of Women Voters of Monroe County urges all registered voters to exercise their Constitutionally protected right to vote and to go to the polls on November 8th. You can find the address of your polling place on vote.pa.gov.
If you have concerns about Pennsylvania issues such as decaying infrastructure, laws governing abortion rights, the regulation of mail-in balloting, or inflation and taxation, vote for like-minded candidates on these or other issues November 8th. You can find out where the candidates in your district stand on the issues by reading their statements on the League’s website at vote411.org.
When you vote by mail-in ballot, be sure to first put your ballot in the envelope labeled “Official Election Ballot.” Then be sure to put the first envelope into the second envelope labeled “Monroe County Election Office.” Make sure you date and sign the second envelope. Mail your ballot in plenty of time for it to reach the Board of Elections by 8:00 PM on November 8th. Or deposit your ballot in a drop box at a county library by November 7th.
If you are a newly-registered voter or if you are voting in a new district due to newly drawn district lines, be sure to take a photo id with you to the polls.
Finally, don’t forget to vote on November 8th. Vote because you’re a citizen. Vote because you care about your country, state, and district. But most of all remember to vote because it is a privilege that people have died to protect and that millions of people around the world envy.
Defend democracy and Vote November 8th,
Barbara J. Keiser, President- League of Women Voters of Monroe County
Looking forward to keeping Oz and Mastriano out of office
I vote in every election, but this year my primary motive is to keep Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz out of our government. I do not think that either of them would be good for Pennsylvania or our country. Mastriano is an election denier and too extreme to be our governor. Oz is a slick snake oil salesman who knows nothing about PA since he doesn't really live here and therefore has no idea how to be a senator for the people of PA. Even more than usual, I am looking forward to voting this year.
Joanne Gunter, Effort
Every vote counts
Voting for our political representatives comes easy in our democracy. We go into the private voting booth and cast our ballot with freedom and without duress concerning choice of candidate. As opposed to no choice and rule by dictatorship, such as in North Korea. Our present ease of voting was accomplished through the Revolutionary War with England (1775-1783). The battle cry of the Revolution was "No taxation without representation." If the King of England had granted the colonists voting or participation rights, we would be the United States of England. So, there is a sense of gratitude and patriotism for our ability to have a concrete effect in politics. One vote is a drop in the bucket, but more than 80 million drops in the bucket can win a presidential election in America.
A motivation for voting is found in the inception of the United States and what the colonists endured, so that we can have this right to vote for our government officials. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 12 fought in battles as members of the state militia, 5 were captured and imprisoned during the Revolutionary War, 17 lost properties as a result of British raids, and 5 lost their fortunes in helping fund the Continental Army and state militias to battle the Redcoats. Many of the signatories were highly educated. They were lawyers and jurists, doctors, surveyors, wealthy mercantile agents and prosperous landowners. These patriots stood to lose the most. One signatory, Lewis Morris, reportedly said: "Damn the consequences, give me the pen." His losses in the war were high: His house was destroyed, his farm was ruined. His 1,000-acre forest was despoiled, his cattle was stolen and his family, including his ten children were driven into exile.
We can show our respect for their risk, perseverance and personal losses by showing up and voting.
Dan Pryor, Belvedere, N.J.
Want to participate? Here's how
This month's prompt, should you choose to accept it, will remain: "What's your motivation for heading to the polls this November? What are the issues most important to you?" Let us know in a Town Hall response, submitted via email.
Participants should email submissions to be included in our next roundup, between 200 and 400 words, to afontones@poconorecord.com. Please put "Town Hall" in the subject line. Responses submitted without the proper subject line may be filtered away from our email inboxes in the newsroom.
We will run Town Hall responses as submissions allow, weekly until November 6.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Opinion: Pocono Record readers discuss motivations for voting
