A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE

Voters will pick all 140 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate today

OK, Hampton Roads. Today’s the day. Let’s prove the conventional wisdom wrong. Let’s turn out in large numbers to exercise our American privilege of voting in free and fair elections. Your vote really can make a difference.

Today’s election is what’s called an off-off year, supposedly as ho-hum as an election in Virginia can get.

Not only is this not a presidential election year. It’s also not a year when we choose a governor; Ralph Northam is halfway through his four-year term. There is not a single statewide race on the ballot.

But it is true that your vote today will help decide control of the General Assembly. All 140 seats in the legislature are on the line, as are a host of local offices with tremendous importance.

Usually, these off-off years mean disturbingly few people bother to go to the polls. Four years ago, in 2015, turnout across the commonwealth was a dismal 29.1% of eligible voters. Think about that: Fewer than a third of people who could vote bothered to make the effort.

Americans should never take that privilege for granted. It may sound hackneyed to say our ancestors fought and died to win that right for themselves and for us, but it’s true. It’s also true that, even today, there are people in other countries who would love to be able to have a voice in their government.

Maybe such idealistic notions and appeals to patriotic duty seem far away amid the onslaught of negative ads, tiresome campaigning and the generally toxic atmosphere of American politics these days. And maybe an off-off year election seems trivial when the whole country seems already engulfed in the run-up to next year’s presidential election.

But this election does matter. The decisions made today can have a direct impact on the lives of people right here in Hampton Roads.

The vote you cast — or don’t cast — today may not seem as consequential as one for president or Congress, but it will have a more immediate effect on your life. If you approve of the way things are going in your city or your child’s school, vote accordingly. If you believe it’s time for a change, make your opinions known where it counts, through your vote.

If you feel the need for something on a somewhat grander scale to motivate you, this election offers that, too. There is no statewide office up for grabs, but this election will determine which party controls government in the commonwealth, whether there is a change or no change.

Virginia is in the political spotlight today because a lot of pundits are saying the way this election goes today could reveal a lot about the mood of the nation and be a bellwether for next year’s national vote.

Republicans control both the state House and Senate now, but by a slim majority. With Northam in the governor’s office, Democrats winning back power would mark the first time since 1993 that they have been in complete control of Richmond. If they take over one just one house, that, too, will shift the balance of power.

That means your vote, for change or to stick with the legislator or party in power in your district, is vitally important. That’s especially true when Virginia Democrats and Republicans have staked out clearly different positions on a number of issues.

The purpose of our elections is to give every citizen an equal say in decisions, on issues large and small, that affect our lives. Elections are the avenue through which we can express the public will and important values. When we can’t be bothered, when we don’t take the trouble to go to the polls, we abdicate our responsibility and give others the right to make decisions about our collective future.

Let’s not let that happen.