The best way to overcome the anxiety of Tuesday’s election is to vote.
Win or lose, you have contributed to the outcome.
Your vote tells the country your values and whom you think best represents them. Ideally, elections help us focus on those things.
To a large extent, our presidential candidates have told us what their nomination would mean for the country. In the Register’s view, Hillary Clinton’s steady manner and diplomatic experience offers the more hopeful and realistic path to keeping the country at peace and on a path of prosperity by working to raise the federal minimum wage, expand Social Security and fine-tune the Affordable Care Act.
On the state level, the most important vote is to retain the Supreme Court justices and other judges down ballot. These people have been targeted by ultra-conservatives who want to give Gov. Sam Brownback the authority to remake our judicial branch of government to fit his small-minded ideology that works against public education, public health and a representative government.
For our state senate race, it’s important to note the ballot does not accurately reflect the candidates running for office. Ever since this summer Carla Griffith, Ottawa, has been running an effective campaign as a write-in candidate against incumbent Caryn Tyson. Chris Johnston, whose name is on the ballot, pulled out of the race a full five months ago. That Carla Griffith’s name was omitted from the ballot is a disservice to democracy and should be addressed come this legislative session.
Carla Griffith is the better alternative to Tyson, if only because Tyson’s platform for smaller government has included votes to cut funding for education and public health, and to give tax breaks to the wealthy.
The only contested race locally is for Allen County Sheriff. The Register abstains from weighing in on local races for the sake of world peace.
MAKE YOUR voice count. Vote.
— Susan Lynn
