Head out, cast vote

Hoosier voters may find themselves casting an eye eastward with a bit of envy on Tuesday.

After all, Indiana’s electoral votes are almost certain to end up in the pocket of George W. Bush, while our Buckeye counterparts have been courted by both candidates incessantly for months. There’s a very good chance that Ohio will be one of a handful of states which determine the presidential election’s outcome.

Indiana is a known quantity in that race; Ohio is still an unknown.

But there’s far more on the ballot Tuesday than the presidential contest, and anyone who stays home from the polls is making a big mistake.

A tight race for governor, a bitterly-fought race for state representative, along with races for the House and Senate and three state constitutional amendments are all at stake this week.

Voting is citizenship at its most fundamental. It’s the buy-in moment on a personal, individual, and often heartfelt basis. It’s the act which connects us with our country, with our leaders, and with our fellow citizens.

Those who minimize it, who argue that individual votes don’t count, simply miss the point.

You don’t vote because you want to back a winner. You don’t vote because you want your face on the evening news.

You vote because you can.

And because not everybody is lucky enough to have that right.

See you at the polls. — J.R.

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