Winter is coming — so vote
by Colleen Crinklaw-Bailey
Winter is coming — and election season is here. It’s time to prepare for the coming political storms. Today is the 2012 Alaska primary election. Please vote.
“Winter is coming.” Fellow nerds will recognize this as the official motto, or “Words” of the House of Stark from Game of Thrones – and those of you who don’t now know the reference. In both the books
My friends, winter is coming. It’s heralded not just by the cooling of the weather and the soft rain of yellow leaves in the autumn wind, but also with the heated race for the most powerful seat in our nation. If we do not steel ourselves against the darkness, thousands will suffer. Lives will be changed, and not always for the better. Policies will be enacted, redacted, withdrawn, proposed, and our rights will be affected. Now is the time to open your eyes, open your ears, and pay attention.
I know, I know. This late in the game we are all sick of the political ads, the sign wavers at every corner in the city begging for you to honk your horn in support, and the constant posting and reposting of every single issue on Facebook and Twitter. Remember the good old days when people voiced their political opinions in a mass email that you could delete without reading it? Now your social media feeds are clogged with vitriolic and enraging material designed to sway your vote one way or the other. It’s easy to want to log off, tune out, and ignore it until election day.
Don’t. With November 6th just around the corner, now is the time to take note. Listen to what the candidates say as well as what they don’t. Investigate rumors, research quotes that may be taken out of context and make an informed decision. Most importantly, use that knowledge and vote. It may be cliché, but every vote really does count. Every time you vote, your voice is heard and trends are mapped. Even if your guy or girl doesn’t win, or even if the initiative you’re fighting for doesn’t go the way you want, make your voice heard.
This year is a crucial election, with LGBT rights and women’s rights on the chopping block in polling places all over the country. Now, more than ever, we social minorities need to work together to protect each other. I want the LGBT community to be able to marry your same sex partners and enjoy all the rights of a first class citizen – but I also need you to fight for my rights as a woman to make my own healthcare decisions. I’m 28 years old and I currently have to undergo tests twice yearly to make sure that a cluster of cells on my ladybits don’t turn into terrible cancer. My access to affordable reproductive healthcare is at risk and I need you to vote for my rights, too. How else am I going to be able to produce more gay babies for this planet?
I won’t tell you who and what to vote for, but I will tell you how to vote. Vote loudly. Vote with your heart and your head. Vote for you. Vote for me.
Winter is coming.
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Voting information: As pointed out today by our friends at Alaska Commons, primary elections generally have a lower turnout than the general elections in November — which means that each individual voter who actually makes it to the polls has a greater impact on who will be candidates for the November general election. We’ve also got two major propositions on the ballot.
Redistricting in the aftermath of the 2010 Census means that your district, precinct, and voting location might have changed. The Alaska Division of Elections has the information you need for where to vote, and what the issues are. In particular:
- If you don’t have your Voter ID card, and aren’t sure of your voting district, click here.
- To find out where your polling location is, click here.
- To see a list of candidates (and links to their websites), click here.
- To see information about both ballot measures, click here.
