License Renewal
Phew! We made it through another election season. Whether it came out the way you were hoping or not, it is done, and we can go back to normal life now, right? I hate to tell you this, but we would all be a lot better off if we would stay at least somewhat engaged in our political and governmental processes. Big election cycles would be way less stressful and our government entities would be less likely to wander off into strange territory if all of us would pay more attention and be more involved on a regular basis.
When we lived in South Texas, we had a local gas station owner who I would swear bought the business so he could control the sign out front. Every election season he would post “Renew your license to gripe—VOTE.” Given voter turnout statistics for this just-concluded election, I think lots of people got that message. But given the experiences I have had in the past 20 years, I would say that voting is really the bare minimum level of what citizens should be doing. Voting “makes your voice heard” as to which people are selected to represent us and work on our behalf, but there is the continuing responsibility to made your voice heard as to what you want to have happen.
How do you make your voice heard? Speak up! It really can be just that simple. You will have the most impact if you start speaking up at the local level, then at the state level. Here on the county level, as of 2022, we had 3,780 registered voters. We can vote without having to stand in long lines, and we can easily speak directly with our local elected officials.
If you you want to branch out beyond the local level, and you should, you can get on the internet and type in “who represents me.” This will bring up a number of websites including one from the state that will ask you to enter your location, then will list your U.S. senators and congressman, your state senator and congressman, and your State Board of Education representative. Each one of those names will be a link to take you to an information page about that person, including their contact information, the locations of their offices, committee assignments, legislative records, and voting records. Even if you did not vote for that person, it is still their job to represent you, and it is YOUR job to tell them how you want that done. They are under no obligation to do exactly as you say, after all they represent all of their constituents, but they are obligated to take our input.
Beyond that and still on the state and local level, there are committees, commissions, boards, etc. who are obligated to take public comment on nearly everything that happens in this state. We have laws about open meetings and public records that entitle you to know just about everything that goes on with all of these entities. To be honest, it would be far more than a fulltime job to keep up with even a fraction of what goes on in our government, but at a minimum, people should stay informed and involved on the things that matter most to them. At a minimum, stay informed, take opportunities for public comment, and let your representatives know where you stand on things.
I would say that doing this would earn you a Master Gripers License, but if you get involved, you may be able to actually change things so there will be less to gripe about. Wouldn’t that be something??