By Noelani Santana, Staff Writer
“Elections have consequences.” People from all walks of life have heard those words before. As pixels danced on a plasma screen with millions watching from home, the 45th President of the United States said these words during the first 2020 presidential debate.
There is plenty of talk about making changes happen every Election Day, but what about the consequences of your vote in your community? How can you make small changes happen right in your hometown?
Change doesn’t have to be a grueling process that starts in DC and feels unattainable. Jen Alexander, who is running for a seat on the Dare County Board of Education, offered a reminder from Tip O’Neill, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who famously said “All politics is local.”
“I am sure everyone has heard this time and time again, but change can start with you,” Alexander said. “Every movement for change began on a local level, and every local-level policy is made by a board who was elected by public vote.”
For example, Alexander highlighted the recent decision here about the return to school: Some school boards in North Carolina decided to keep students on a remote schedule and some sent students back full time, while DCS Board members voted to return elementary school students back to class full time and everyone else on a hybrid schedule.
“Whether you agree or disagree with the decision, this is a prime example of why local elections matter,” Alexander said. “The Board of Education is an elected body and voters who voted chose them. You could say that voters who didn’t vote also chose them by giving those who did vote a disproportionately bigger voice. During an off-year local election, only 15 to 20 percent vote. Your vote at the local level can have an even bigger impact than most other elections.”
Though navigating today’s political world can be disheartening and complicated, citizens of the United States have the power to create change – if they choose to take it.
For Kathy McCullough-Testa, running for the Dare County Board of Commissioners, the importance of voting was instilled in her from a young age by her grandmother.
“Your vote is your voice. There are so many that came before us who didn’t have the right to vote. So many have fought and died for that right. There are people in the world today who can’t exercise that right,” McCullough-Testa said. “My grandmother was born before women had the right to vote and when she emigrated to the United States from Greece and became a citizen, the first thing she did was register to vote. She never missed an election.”
McCullough-Testa added that registering to vote and casting your ballot is easy to do in today’s society. And it is such an important part of the democratic process.
“When we all vote, we are working towards equal and diverse representation so that everyone has a voice and a seat at the table,” she said.
And regardless of the endless debates of left vs. right, it’s important to remember that every vote matters.
“Democracy is an experiment where every two or four years we have a chance to shape the direction of public policies through our vote,” Alexander said. “When people don’t vote, their interests get disproportionately under-addressed. You are not being represented in the government when you do not participate.”
Sophomore Noelani Santana can be reached at 23santanano33@daretolearn.org.
