By 7 p.m. Tuesday: Vote, then commit to coming together
As the weekend begins, it’s always nice to sit down with a cup of coffee, a clean sheet of paper and a pen, knowing that the next 48 hours are yours to do with as you please. After a bit of contemplation, the lines of the page slowly fill with a list of things you hope to accomplish, whether over the next two days, the next week or longer.
Then, before you can wash the mug and put it back in the cupboard, thoughts suddenly spring to mind of things you “must” do — the chores left over from your last to-do list, the winterizing tasks you’ve put off until the last minute or the holiday decorations that need to go up before the temperatures drop even more.
Or maybe someone comes along and gives you some extra tasks to add to the list. Sorry, but today, we’re going to be that person.
That’s because we have three things we believe must be accomplished by every American of voting age between now and 7 p.m. Tuesday:
- Educate yourself about the candidates and issues on this year’s general election ballot.
- Vote.
- Commit to coming together with your fellow Americans, regardless of the outcome.
The good news for some of you is that the first two are already done. Earlier this week, more than 41% of registered voters in Laramie County had cast their ballots, and 30% of Wyomingites had done so. With long lines every day at the county courthouse, those percentages have likely increased significantly in the days since.
If you’re a procrastinator, or just deadline driven like those of us in journalism, let’s break down each of the tasks just a little bit.
Educate yourself
If you’ve so far been successful at avoiding all election-related news, it’s not too late to become educated about your options. The most obvious resource, of course, is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s website, WyomingNews.com. All of our election-related stories — including profiles of most candidates and overviews of the ballot issues — can be found by searching the candidate’s name or an issue-related keyword in the search box found near the top of the page (point your mouse at the magnifying glass symbol).
Then there are the websites of the candidates themselves. While we wish all candidates had pages outlining their positions on the issues most important to voters, that’s often not the case. At that point, you may have to pick up your phone and call the candidate or send them an email (contact information can be found at laramiecountywy.gov/County-Government/Elected-Officials/County-Clerk/Elections/Candidates).
If this sounds overwhelming, it’s really not. Once you get a copy of your sample ballot (available at laramiecountywy.gov/County-Government/Elected-Officials/County-Clerk/Elections by clicking on “My 2024 Ballot — Who’s on My Ballot”), you only need to research those people in competitive races where you live.
Other quality resources include Vote411.org and the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office Election Center (online at sos.wyo.gov/Elections).
Remember, there’s much more to this year’s election than just Trump vs. Harris. There are U.S. House and Senate races (one each in Wyoming), six contested legislative races in Laramie County, competitive city races (including Cheyenne mayor and two open seats in each of the three City Council wards), seven candidates vying for three open seats on the Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees, one contested board seat in LCSD2, six candidates seeking three open seats on the Laramie County Community College board, a statewide constitutional amendment related to property taxes, renewal of the county’s conservation district tax and more.
These local races are as important — if not more so — than the battle for the White House. Even if you’re feeling like your vote for president is worthless or already covered by your Republican neighbors, local contests are often decided by narrow margins, so your vote matters a lot. And those local elected officials make decisions that often affect your daily life more than those in D.C.
But it’s important that you vote for the people who you believe will do the best job, not just the name you recognize from the yard signs you’ve seen the most. Take some time, educate yourself and prepare to perform your duty as a citizen of our great country.
Voting
If you’re new to Wyoming or have never voted before, it’s not too late. The Equality State features same-day registration, so all you have to do is show up at a vote center, register and cast your ballot.
As this is published, there’s still one more day of early voting, Monday, Nov. 4, in the atrium of the Laramie County Governmental Complex, 310 W. 19th St., in downtown Cheyenne. The polls are open that day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and voters should use the Carey Avenue entrance.
If you requested an absentee ballot, but forgot to put it in the mail, you can still drop it in the secure ballot drop box at that location before 7 p.m. Tuesday, or hand it to someone at the county elections office, located just inside the newer side of the governmental complex, 309 W. 20th St., before 7 p.m. Tuesday.
On Tuesday, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these seven locations:
- David R. Romero Park, 1317 Parsley Blvd.
- Storey Gym, 2811 House Ave.
- Kiwanis Community House, 4603 Lions Park Drive
- North Christian Church, 2015 Tranquility Road
- Laramie County Community College, CCI Bldg, 1400 E. College Drive
- Event Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Parkway
- Pine Bluffs Community Center, 708 Lawson St.
Don’t forget to bring your voter ID (a valid Wyoming driver’s license or ID card, U.S. passport, U.S. military card, etc. — full list of acceptable forms of ID available at sos.wyo.gov/Elections/VoterID), as well as your patience, since lines can get long from time to time.
And don’t forget that Wyoming law allows everyone entitled to vote one hour off work to do so. The hour is at the convenience of your employer, between the time of opening and closing of the polls. The law does not apply to employees who have three or more consecutive non-working hours during the time polls are open.
Coming together
Now the hard part is done, right? Well, not exactly.
We believe the key test of any successful democracy is whether its citizens can get past partisan differences and work together for the common good. This has been woefully hard to come by at the federal level in recent years, and some of that division has trickled down to the state and even local levels.
But we believe most of us don’t want to live in that constant state of division. We don’t want to hate our neighbor because of who they voted for, their opinion on abortion or whether they were born in this country or not.
Most of us firmly believe in the freedoms we enjoy in the United States and the opportunities resulting from those freedoms. Are there things that could be better? Sure. But to make those improvements, we need to work together, not stand apart.
Regardless of which candidates win this year’s elections, some of us will be happy and others will be upset. The test is what we do with those emotions. Only by setting aside our anger and avoiding the temptation to gloat and run roughshod over the “losing” side will we be successful as a country.
A footnote about endorsements
The past week has brought news of major newspapers opting not to endorse either of the main candidates for president. USA Today and its more than 200 local affiliates joined the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post in announcing they would no longer publish an endorsement in the race for the nation’s highest office.
Here at the WTE, we haven’t endorsed a presidential candidate in a long time. We do have a history of recommending candidates in local and state races, however, even as recently as two years ago, when we offered our suggestions in the LCSD1 Board of Trustees race.
Well before the current election cycle began, we decided not to make recommendations in any political race this year. We believe our role is to provide information about the candidates, not opinions. That will allow us to hold every elected official accountable and praise them when they do well without any perception of bias.
As we all prepare for whatever Tuesday will bring, we are reminded of the oath taken by those becoming U.S. citizens at naturalization ceremonies across our country. In part, it says, “I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ...”
Have a good Election Day, everyone, and thank you for doing your part.