EVERY VOTE COUNTS

I know that it might sound mawkish, but I believe it is my patriotic duty to vote.  As a member of the minority party in our county, I feel especially compelled to vote in the primaries. Please vote in the March 15, 2016 Primary.

See this link:  There have been numerous elections won by ONE or very few votes.  In 2004, John Kerry lost Ohio in the Presidential election and although he had carried the large cities Kerry did not carry southern Ohio.  When Barack Obama ran four years later, his campaign concentrated on southern Ohio with a liaison in every county.  We were instructed that IF John Kerry had gained NINE votes per precinct in southern Ohio, he would have carried Ohio and would have won the election.  Our rallying cry in 2008 was "NINE VOTES PER PRECINCT" and the Obama campaign was successful.

I have never missed an election since I reached my "majority" (as it was so quaintly put "back in the day").  When I began voting, the age requirement was 21. When I presented myself to vote at the Primary of my first voting year, I was 20 years old. Of course, one was required to provide proof of birth, and when I gave my birth date as July 19, I was told by the poll worker I could NOT vote. Being quite aware of the law I told the worker I most certainly could vote because I would be 21 before the General Election. It was unbelievable to me that the poll worker had to confer with others before allowing me to vote.

I was alarmed to learn of the latest voter suppression plan by Ohio's current Secretary of State as he issued a directive that 17-year-old citizens will NOT be allowed to vote in the March Primary even if their eighteenth birthday is before the General Election in November.  I learned that the court decided AGAINST Husted's plan!  In the past this Secretary of State has restricted early voting, trashed provisional ballots, defied court orders to keep open for early voting, and retaliated against voting officials who opposed his policies.  When he launched a voter fraud investigation about alleged voting by illegal immigrants, it found exactly FOUR cases since 2000.  Just another waste of taxpayer dollars!

One time I arrived at my polling place at 7:20 PM because we'd had an emergency at work. I exceeded the speed limit on Route 38 and was stopped by a Sheriff's Deputy and he actually let me go with a warning.  I now vote early by absentee ballot.

It seems the only time there's a big turnout is to defeat levies. At our last General Election, the vote in Fayette County was 24.3% of the registered voters; in our last Primary the percentage was 21%. That is shameful.