Dear Members and Friends,
I am at it again speaking about something that is important and necessary in our communities, voting and having local officials that represent us. How do we encourage our citizens to vote? What does it take to communicate that democracy belongs to all, to every person that lives in our valley of unique diversity, opportunities, and lifestyles? We are living in challenging times where chaos, distrust, and confusion are discouraging eligible voters from voting. The good news is that we are fortunate to live in a state that is fighting to protect our voting rights and the League of Women Voters are right there is this fight.
What is important about the mid-term elections? These elections are about local people running for offices that should represent you, your communities. These are the people who will be your voice for the next four years. As a voting citizen you have the right and obligation to ensure that you are voting not only for your own interests but for your friends, family and neighbors. There will be decisions made by these candidates that may determine how your family maintains a living that will allow you and them to live in neighborhoods of your choice, how children attend schools, seek affordable healthcare, education beyond high school, buying a vehicle, maintaining it and paying for gas to get to work. How about the high price of food? What food will you be able to afford to put on your own table? What about your neighbors who do not have resources? These are issues that are and should be important to all of us and our communities.
Let us be even more clear, what else is at stake during the mid-term elections? There will be decisions made about data centers, surveillance cameras, court services, property taxes, funding for law enforcement, emergency services and detections centers, public school funding, ICE detentions, immigrants due process, lack of water in our valley, recycling, utility services, healthcare, changing climate patterns affecting our valley, the survival of agriculture, taxes, and our voting rights. Please share this article with others in your network and at places where there are young people, people who work in agriculture and warehouses, attend schools of higher education, and underserviced communities that are going to be hit hard by the changes that are taking place.
We should see our mid-terms elections as a priority and obligation to vote. More so, than voting for a president. Elected officials should be speaking up about the issues that are important to you and me. Their job is to present issues of importance to State legislation and to our federal government. This is part of the check and balance in our democracy. As the League of Women Voters of Yakima County, it is our job to engage and education you on voting. If you do not see us, please let us know. As the League’s president, I am genuinely concerned about our presents in your and other communities.
Please view our website at lwvyakimacounty.org. Hopefully, by the time you read this newsletter, there will be a CD4 forum and an initiative forum on three initiatives that are on our ballots on the website. These are excellent and informative resources that we are providing for you. These forums have already been shared with members of the League. Let us get out the vote together. Here is the League’s email if you would like to leave a message:
yakimacountylwvyc@gmail.com
Your President,
Cindy Olivas
