IF YOU ARE A COLLEGE STUDENT AND WANT THE FACTS ON REGISTERING TO VOTE SIMPLY GO TO THE
VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS WEBSITE FOR ALL DETAILS!
The last day to register to vote in the November 4th general election is October 6th. The deadline for mail in requests for absentee ballots is October 28th, and for walk-in absentee ballot requests the deadline is November 1st.Three thousand (3000) new voters registered in Montgomery County in the last ten (10 days). If you plan on voting in November, plan on getting there early if you can. Plan ahead and cast your vote by absentee ballot if you are going to be out of town. Exciting things are happening, but the bigger question is "Will it last?"
According to the Town_Statistics report for 8/1/08 from the
Commonwealth of Virginia - State Board of Elections - Voter Registration Statistics :
- Blacksburg had already shown a net increase of 435 voters (an increase from 14,403 to 14,821)
- Christiansburg had a net increase of 447 voters (an increase from 12,994 to 13,425
- Montgomery County had a net increase of 1,371 voters (an increase from 46,258 to 47,602)
Please note that these increases preceded the current "push" to get voters registered. Will this sudden interest in voting, particularly by the younger people of the country pass as a transient phenomenon, or will it stay and become a major issue with future local elections.
Back in the 60's and 70's, there was a similar upsurge in voting. In many ways, it was for similar reasons. People were tired of government doing things the same way with the same results. People wanted things to be better. If you look at current voting patterns, those of us who were active back in the 60's and 70's are still voting today. We are still involved and, I for one, look forward to having another such influx of voters swelling the ranks.
I was pondering how this influx of new voters will be likely to impact future local elections, and I believe that impact will be greater than anything we accomplished in our youth. While we professed to be 'agents of change' back then, I believe that the young people of today will far surpass anything we dared dream of because the 'are the change!'
Today, we have the internet and 24 hr. news feeds to provide enough 'food for thought' to choke a horse. Recent history, astonishing developments in technology and research, a greater understanding of our Earth, a greater respect for the similarity rather than the differences between people, and many other things are at the fingertips of this newer generation.
We are at a time where information is at our fingertips. We need not take someone's opinion. We can see for ourselves.
Just think: Of those 3000 people, what if only 25% of those are residents of Christiansburg? That means 750 NEW voters in local elections. If only 75 of those turn out, with the abysmal turnout for local elections heer in Christiansburg, those 75 people can change the face of local government.
But, what if ALL 750 of those new Christiansburg voters decided that local elections are very important to some of the big issues like the environment, social services, education, land use issues, taxes, etc. What if ALL 750 show up to vote in the next local elections? What if those people currently enrolling as voters get involved in local politics, come to meetings, join organizations, talk about issues at ALL levels, not just National.
I believe that the young people of today will learn from our mistakes. They will not throw the baby out with the bath water like we did in the 60's and 70's by isolating ourselves from the 'over 30' group. I believe that they will be the ones to breach all of those old walls pertaining to age, gender, race, ethnicity, etc. that have reduced our efficacy as a nation.
What wondrous times to be alive!!!!