Vote: Your Right, Your Duty, Your Choice

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Musal
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  "The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men," said James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States.

As we approach another presidential election this November, these words from a former president should stick in our minds. Voting is our right as citizens of the United States, and as military members, we fight to preserve that right. As such, we should be proud to cast our own votes.

"A lot of people don't vote, and a lot of people have never voted," said Maj. Hunter Sawders, 17th Security Forces Squadron commander, who along with Adam Jara heads up the Voting Assistance Program on Goodfellow. "They need to start changing their minds about that."

The deadline to register to vote in Texas is Monday, and if you haven't yet registered, now is the time. If you talk with Mr. Jara by Monday, he can make sure you are registered.

"If someone goes to Mr. Jara, they're going to get help," Maj. Sawders said. "He took this program from running six months behind to the best I've seen in my 25 years of service."

Additionally, Absentee Voter Week is Oct. 12 - 18. Anyone who missed their chance to fill out voting cards can contact Mr. Jara or their Unit Voting Officer during that time to fill out a write-in ballot. Mr. Jara has a list of UVOs, as does the base operator.

"We're trying to catch anybody who's left," Mr. Jara said.

This isn't the first voting push for this election. Armed Forces Voting Week was Aug. 31 through Sept. 7, and Goodfellow registered 468 voters during that campaign. Additionally, the 311th and 314th Training Squadrons at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif., registered 400 voters. Mr. Jara and Maj. Sawders compared that total to the number of voters registered during Armed Forces Voting Week in 2004, during the previous presidential election: 87.

"If that's not a good indicator that this is working, I don't know what is," said Maj. Sawders. "Part of being a citizen-Airman is being responsible for taking part in government," Maj. Sawders added. "We get to put our opinions and perspectives into practice when we vote, and we have a unique perspective."

For information on voting, call Adam Jara at 654-4399.