Go Forth and Vote

Feeling a little down? Lost the old pep? Can’t get motivated? Try voting! There’s no better way to reinvigorate the democratic-republic in you than to cast a vote for a worthy candidate or against one who didn’t impress. Initial an initiative. Refuse a referendum. Back a bond. Voting freshens your breath, whitens your teeth and in Maine, where the voting’s on paper but nary a chad can be found, every vote actually counts.

Voting is simple but important. If you’re registered, you just need to show up at your local polling place. Your town office can tell you where that is if you have doubts. It couldn’t hurt to bring identification, though you shouldn’t need it. Not registered? No problem – bring identification and head for town hall – you may be able to vote there as well. Even if there is a problem with your registration, you can still vote under Maine’s challenged ballot law, so there’s no reason to leave a polling place without having your say (on the ballot, that is; leave campaigning at the door).

Certainly, there’s enough at stake to lift you from the torpor of endless campaign commercials and lengthy arguments over minuscule issues. Election Day is a time to think big. No one knows whether the 2nd Congressional District will break for President Bush or Sen. Kerry. Why not cast the deciding vote? The proposed tax cap couldn’t have escaped your notice. Don’t simply burden your friends with your opinion – make it official at your local polling place. Haven’t decided which way to go on the bear-baiting question? It’s not too late to work up an opinion.

Maine has congressional races to decide, legislative contests over a near evenly divided state Senate and local races everywhere. Piscataquis County has a bond issue to consider. Bangor has a debt level to vote on. Many voters statewide will get their first look at four proposed initiatives that would cap public spending, tax water, ban slot machines and require the Legislature to call for a constitutional convention until Congress proposes an amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

You don’t, of course, need to sign those petitions, just as you don’t need to fill in every question on the ballot. If you don’t have a preference or aren’t comfortable with any other choices on a particular question, leave it blank. The rest of your ballot still counts. (If, by the way, you make a mistake on a ballot, you can ask for another.)

Turnout is expected to be high today, meaning some voters will find lines and the volunteers at the polls will be busy. It may be confusing to first-time voters, but there are only two things to remember: Votes are counted carefully in Maine so if you cast a ballot, it will matter; and there’s no reason to leave a polling place without voting, no matter what the problem.

Voting. What would Election Day be without it?