Voting does not begin with watching presidential debates on television.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

Voting does not begin with watching presidential debates on television. It doesn’t start when you make up your mind about who should serve on that board or that commission. It starts when you sign your name on a voter registration form.

There are about 38,600 residents already registered to vote in this county, yet there are countless others who have not taken that step.

In an effort to give future voters more of an opportunity to make their voice heard, the Lawrence County Board of Elections has extended its office hours.

The office, located on the first floor of the courthouse, will be open 8-4:30 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays of each week through the close of registration Feb. 7. The office also will be open 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Fridays during the week.

Regardless of party lines or political theories, exercising the right to vote should stand as a paramount duty of us all.

Our Founding Fathers forged this nation by deciding for themselves what direction the future should take.

And that freedom brought with it elections by popular majority vote. Now, with each vote we cast, we help advance that future by ensuring that not one person or group choose for the whole – we choose together at the ballot box.

So, if your name’s not on a voter registration form, if it’s not on the dotted line, visit the election board office, a school, a library or any state agency and put it there.

You’ll be glad you did when it comes time to vote.