Republicans Who Stay Home Elect Democrats
Election Day is coming soon! It is vitally important that you make sure to vote on Tuesday, November 7. Our system doesn’t work if you stay home, and that goes especially for off-year municipal elections like this one.
“Republican” is not just a mascot. You expect candidates who affiliate with the Republican Party to hold certain beliefs about society, the family, and individual rights. Those beliefs will inform the way in which lawmakers and elected leaders handle any situation, so it’s important to know where your candidates stand.
Even though this election is technically nonpartisan, every candidate on the ballot has a set of principles, a worldview that will guide them as they make decisions that affect you and your family. Though they won’t have an R or a D next to their names, savvy voters can figure out where the candidates stand by researching their positions and talking to them directly.
In the end, the fate of your community is in your hands. Republicans who stay home elect Democrats, even in nonpartisan races. If you stay home, then you enable the same dysfunction we see in big cities throughout the nation to come into your town. I know you don’t want that, and I don’t either.
I know many of you are skeptical about voting. The good news is that our Legislature has taken positive steps since 2020 to improve confidence in our election systems. For example, earlier this year they restricted the use of student IDs for registering to vote, and they will not be allowed at all starting with next year’s primary.
We can still do more. Earlier this year, the Idaho Republican State Central Committee passed a resolution urging our Legislature to further improve voter ID requirements, limit the use of absentee ballots, and implement independent redundant ballot tabulation systems. These are all great ideas that I would like to see carried to the floor next session.
Most Republicans agree that we should return to same-day voting and to limit absentee ballots to those citizens who truly need them. However, the only way to implement these changes is to win elections, and the only way to win elections is to get out and vote. Go vote for your mayors, city council members, school board trustees, and fire commissioners. These candidates could be your future legislators, so get to know them now.
I urge all of you to make it a habit to vote in every election, and to get to know your candidates personally so you can make an informed choice. We can restore confidence in our elections, but only if we show up in the first place, so be sure to vote on Tuesday!
