It’s about one month until Mississippi’s general election.
Almost everyone in Pearl River County has their own opinion about the candidates, key issues and what improvements they want to see in the state.
However, some people will only voice their concerns and not take that opinion to the polls.
According to nation.com, in the budding years of the United States, voting rights were only extended to white, male property owners. After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment granted the right to vote to all male citizens, regardless of race. The 19th Amendment was ratified after the women’s suffrage movement in 1920, which gave women the right to vote.
Many lives were lost during the Civil War, for many reasons, but one of these reasons was based on race relations of the day. However, for many years, African-American voters were not allowed to exercise their right to vote until the 13th Amendment.
According to the National Women’s History Museum’s website, women’s suffrage supporters lobbied for 50 years to pass the amendment allowing them the right to vote.
The right to choose their own governmental officials was very important for our ancestors.
Voting gives ordinary citizens the chance to vote for the ideals and candidates they feel would best represent their cities and country.
Yet, despite all the sufferings and hard work of generations before, some citizens do not exercise their right to vote.
Some believe their vote does not count and some may be just too lazy to head to the polls.
Whatever the reasons, it is everyone’s right as American citizens to cast a vote for the candidates we deem worthy.
Do they always win? No. But at least voters can say they stood up for their beliefs and exercised their right to enact change.
This is the last week to register to vote for the November election. Make the effort to register and vote on Nov. 4, 2014.