Your Civic Duty is Just Around the Corner
Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community CollegeIt's been one of the longest presidential campaign seasons in the history of the United States. Potential candidates were starting to position themselves for a run even before the votes were counted on Election Day in November 2004. Some started testing the waters with friendly visits to New Hampshire, meeting with key political figures in the state to see if they could garner early support. Without an incumbent running, or a sitting vice-president ready to be proclaimed the heir apparent, the race was wide open on both sides.
In New Hampshire we had one of the largest turn-outs ever for our presidential primary. With our tradition of town meetings and of public hearings on just about everything, we have a high degree of civic engagement in the Granite State. Unlike most states, the term for our governor is only two years, which means in New Hampshire we're always in an election cycle.
It's enough, this time around, to get your head spinning, and as we watch the last few debates, and listen to the last few political ads on the radio, there's a distinct inclination to shout “enough!” and click the remote, or turn the dial, to something a bit more relaxing. No one said democracy was going to be easy.
Now is the time to vote. Tuesday, Nov. 4, is our chance to go to the polls and vote. We will be choosing not only the next president, but our next senator and congressman as well. There are contests for seats in the state House and Senate, too, along with races for county offices. November fourth is the day we can stop listening to all the talk and take action by casting our vote.
Winston Churchill, who led Great Britain in World War II, once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.” To really appreciate our chance to vote, just think about how different the country would be without that right. It's worth it, too, to look back in history to see how far we've come.
At White Mountains Community College we offer courses that allow you to take a look back in history. Our Western Civilization II course traces Western thought and civilization starting at 1500 and going all the way up to the present. The course explores the decline in absolute monarchies through the rise of revolutionary ideologies, the Enlightenment, the political revolutions in the West, and on to industrialization. How has this evolution of Western thought shaped our contemporary cultural, political, economic and religious world?
We also offer American Government (Voices in Democracy), an introductory course in government that examines the relationship among government, politics and power, along with additional courses of America in the 20th Century and United States History to 1877.
So when you go to the polls this November 4, remember the fact that you are voting is almost as important as whom you vote for. Candidates on both sides of the ticket have to pay attention to who votes for them, who puts them in office, because in New Hampshire, and in the United States, there's always another election just around the corner.
Back to News List10/25/2008
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