The first time I voted, I was tremendously excited. I went with my family down to the fire station. I showed my identification even though it wasn’t necessary since we all knew each other. The polling judge walked me over to the station and showed me how to punch the card. When I finished, I dropped my ballot in the locked box and was offered one of Ruth Cook’s world-famous cookies. As I walked out, I felt very proud and happy that I had taken this big step into adulthood. It saddens me to think that this may not be the experience for so many of our children. Lake Point has recently been changed to a write-in precinct. With that decision, I believe we have lost the very unique experience of having the opportunity to visit with our neighbors as we sit and wait our turn. The write-in process also takes away the ability to show our children how the democratic process works, along with helping them to connect voting with the election returns they watch on television. I understand there are some advantages to a write-in precinct, however, most of those same advantages can be had by using absentee ballots. I also believe that there are many in our community who would be happy to offer rides to elderly neighbors or other who do not drive. I hope we will change voting back to the community activity that we once enjoyed.
Ginger K. Martin
Lake Point