Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

Voting at the local level has an impact

By Moryt Milo

With the election less than a week away, campaign literature has been hitting our doorsteps in buckets. We have candidates to elect for city council, a district attorney, mayor, governor and a host of other seats. In the face of this saturation, it would be easy to turn and run for the hills, so to speak. But then we leave our fate in the hands of others, and haven't we done enough of that already?

This election may be during an off-year--a non-presidential voting year--but in many ways this Nov. 7 is even more important because it has an immediate impact on our daily lives.

Who wins at the local level has a far greater impact on Districts 6 and 3 than elections at a national level. Who becomes the next mayor of San Jose or district attorney in Santa Clara County affects us on the ground floor of politics. It's why local elections are so important.

No one should be apathetic about his or her vote when residents of San Jose have been voicing their dissatisfaction about the decision-making behavior of city officials.

On Nov . 7, voters have the opportunity to have their say and--elect officials who we hope will change the course of politics in San Jose. If you don't get out there and our local government continues down the same path, then you--the non-voter--have no one to blame but yourself. So pick up that sample ballot, fill it out ahead of time and cast that vote, because what you do does make a difference.

Moryt Milo is the editor of the Willow Glen Resident. She can be reached at 408.200.1051 or via email at mmilo@community-newspapers.com.