By MARY HERR
Cherokee, N.C.
Early voting started Thursday, April 28 for Swain County residents at Birdtown Gym in Cherokee and Swain County Board of Elections in Bryson City. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays until May 13, Saturdays April 30 and May 7 from 8 a.m. to noon and close May 14 at 3 p.m. Jackson County residents can vote at the Qualla Community Building and Jackson County Board of Elections in Sylva. If you are not registered, you can register and vote during early voting but not on Election Day. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 17 at your local precinct. You cannot register and vote that day.
If you are registered as a Democrat, you must vote in the Democratic primary. If you are registered as a Republican, you must vote in the Republican primary. If you are registered as Unaffiliated, you may vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.
Decisions made at all levels of government (President and Congress in Washington, DC, General Assembly in Raleigh and County Commissioners, Sheriffs, Courts, etc.) affect our daily lives. All federal laws passed by the US Congress directly impact Cherokee people. How our NC State Representative and Senator vote on issues such as environment, Medicaid expansion, education, etc. is critical.
It is important to vote in this year’s midterm because it promises to have a large affect on the direction of the country. Why are midterm elections so important? Whoever controls the House and/or the Senate controls the direction of the country. The majority party determines who leads important congressional committees. A president’s ability to accomplish his or her agenda depends on whether their party controls the two houses of Congress.
Most of the attention of midterm elections is focused on the two chambers of Congress: the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Members of the House are elected for two-year terms, so all 435 seats are up for election during the midterms. Senators are elected to staggered six-year terms. A third of the 100 seats will be up for election in the 2022 midterm elections. North Carolina will be electing one US Senator this year for the position of Senator Richard Burr who is not running for re-election.
This year’s midterms are critical for a few more reasons, according to political experts. For one, they serve as a thermometer that can forecast the temperature of the next presidential election. But more importantly, they could deliver both the Senate and House to the Republican Party. Currently, the Democrats have a razor-thin majority in the Senate because of Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to cast a tie-breaking vote. The House is also currently under Democratic control. The Democrats risk losing this majority unless they turn out for this election.
Please vote in the upcoming primary election. Be an informed voter. Don’t believe the negative ads you see on TV or what is mailed to you. If the person running for office is currently serving, check out their voting record. If they have not been in office, check out their platform and look at what they have done in their lives.
Your vote is important in selecting our next Senator and member of the House of Representatives as well as judges as their actions affect all of our everyday lives. Regardless of what party you are or which candidates you support, please exercise your right to vote by absentee ballot, early voting or on the Primary Election Day May 17. Your future as well as the future of your children and grandchildren are at stake.
