In his 1796 farewell address, President George Washington urged Americans to “actively preserve the constitutional system rather than take it for granted.” President Reagan said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Voter apathy remains a concern, but there are bright spots.

The United States is in the bottom half of developed countries when it comes to voter turnout. School board elections run around 20% turnout while federal midterms hover around 45%. These numbers are abysmal. What are the reasons?

Trust in government has steadily declined since the 1960’s. Many people believe their votes don’t matter because the same people continue getting elected. It’s important to remember that we the people have a government, not the other way around.

Government is important, but it’s very rarely a solution to the challenges most people face. The politicians want you to think they have the answers, but their track record is horrible. The politicians waste our resources, yet they still want more from us. They haven’t earned our trust because of reckless spending, so they don’t deserve more.

My encouragement to you is to get educated about your candidates. Challenge them on their rhetoric. Then hold them accountable when their actions don’t align with their promises…