Vote Tuesday, Or Else
posted by
1970s Abraham Lincoln
posted
9/24/2007 3:05:00 PM
Fitchburg has a pretty abysmal voter turnout rate. In a city of 40,000, an average of 3 to 4 thousand show up for elections. Ten percent. That's embarrassing. 
I have no hard data on the demographics of people who do choose to vote, but anecdotally, I do like to hang around the polls for hours on election day (skulking in the bushes) - and most of the voters I see remember Tom Donnelly as that little boy in lederhosen who mowed their lawns.
I'm not explicitly discrediting old people because I'm still young and vibrant and full of interesting ideas, but I do think that age brings a difference of perspective. And I'm talking about age within generational context, too. With each passing generation, the desire to conform to the expectations of the previous generation seems to diminish. When my parents married, for example, they chose to eschew the traditional Finnish dowry of a dozen geoducks and a Cracker Barrel Summer Sausage Gift Basket for a thousand dollars in cash and a Chevy Corvair. They bucked the prevailing trend. For all I know, my great-grandchildren will be married in electric pants. I won't approve, but that's why they call it progress. My point is, if you're comfortable with octogenarians making decisions for you, then stay home.
On Tuesday, September 25, there will be an election. If you don't know where to vote, click here. If you don't know who to vote for, click here. If you aren't yet registered, go here, then pray that we don't blow it tomorrow, and go vote in November.
Seriously, get off your ass and go vote on Tuesday.
Tags: voting, desalvatore, donnelly, wong, dionne, nameless ward 4 candidates
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