Our nation needs your thoughtful votes

It’s a few weeks before the presidential election, and many American voters are still “undecided.” This being the strangest campaign season in memory, “undecided” may not be the right word. Many would vote for “none of these” if that were a valid choice. But it is not.

Opting out is not a good option — the electoral democracy we live in needs people to participate, no matter how uninspiring the candidates seem.

A protest vote is also not a good option. Look at what happened in Britain. “Brexit” was the important vote by residents of Britain to stay in or exit the European Union. The result: 51.9 percent voted to leave the EU. A furor erupted immediately: Many people who voted “Leave the EU” had not really wanted to leave at all. They had used an “exit” vote to register their negative feelings about their government in general. Many demanded a “re-vote,” but that is legally impossible. You get what you vote for, not what you wish you could vote for.

Please think seriously about the choices for president and other elected officials running now. Look them up online. Read articles from both conservative and liberal sources. Don’t base your important decision about the future of our country on TV commercials alone; they are professionally crafted to present only one side of an issue, often using partial truths, exaggerations and even lies as whole truths.

Whatever else you do on Tuesday, Nov. 8, go vote. Our country needs your thoughtful vote.

The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, Oct. 11. For more information, call the Allegheny County Elections Board at 412-350-4510, or go to register.votesPA.com for an online voter registration application. MEREDITH A. GRAY

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