krazydiamond on Voting Local Matters

Hello and welcome to my post for the Voting Block! I'm , mother of two, tattooed maven of words, and creator of weird, wild, and wondrous stories. A little known fact about me: I live in the Constitution state, aka Connecticut, also known for its taxes and nutmeg. We are very spicy.

One upside of living in the Constitution state? Our local government has remained in constant communication of what they are doing for their constituents during the pandemic, from free meal extensions for school aged kids to boosting financial relief for various job communities that have been hit the hardest in loss of income and ability. I am proud to have voted for representatives who continually work for the welfare and wellbeing of my community.

When voting, these are the candidates you want, from your local Controller to your Governor and Senator. The politicians that push for policies that are the greatest benefit to you, your family, and community. That last one, in particular, has been a hot button issue going into this election season.

The Right of It

A citizen's constitutional right to vote is just that, a right. As stated on the www.use.gov/votinglaws page:

"In the U.S., no one is required by law to vote in any local, state, or presidential election. According to the U.S. Constitution, voting is a right and a privilege. Many constitutional amendments have been ratified since the first election. However, none of them made voting mandatory for U.S. citizens."

Local Matters

It is a right people have often taken for granted, myself included when it comes to local politics. It wasn't until my children reached school age that I began to really embrace the importance of knowing my local politicians and their platform. It is easy to lose sight of the importance of exercising your right to vote when many of us are struggling to get through the day to day grind, but being part of the process of choosing who is in charge of your local government matters as much as it does for the head of the country.

Your state and local municipalities are responsible for a laundry list of community improvements and maintenance, not limited to parks and recreation services, police and fire departments, housing services, emergency medical services, municipal courts, establishing zoning regulations, license professions, run public schools, transportation services (including public transportation), and public works (streets, sewers, snow removal, signage, and so forth).

When voting for your candidate, you want someone whose budgeting policies you agree with, you will want to know how they plan to divy funds for projects, what improvements they plan to make, any tweaks to zoning, taxes, and other policies they plan to put forth that could benefit or be a detriment to your livelihood.

There are often proposals included directly on the local ballot about upcoming decisions that could have wide reaching effects to the community. It is important to research those issues ahead of time so you are not blindsided and ill informed when it comes to voting on a proposal that could ultimately impact some aspect of your life.

In Conclusion

The voting climate is currently very divisive. No matter which candidate you prefer, it is important, when considering your voting options, to head to the polls knowing your candidates, from the local to the head of the country, the policies they plan to push and how that will impact you and your community. A conscientious voter is a powerful voter. Now, onto the tricky part. There has been a great deal of upheaval as Voting Day draws closer. Many citizens have already voted thanks to mail in ballots.

If you mailed yours in early, congrats on voting! You have exercised your right as a citizen! If you have a mail-in ballot but are hesitant that you missed the mail-in window, you can drop off your ballot directly at your local ballot drop off box. If you plan to head to the polls on November 3rd, please be safe, bring your ID, and know your rights!