Sarah

The privilege of civic duty

One of my favorite civic duties is volunteering as a pollworker on election days. Notwithstanding the wonderful goodies that we all contribute to the buffet table, I love greeting every human being who walks in that door to cast their ballot. I don't care what their ballot says in the end, because I love the fact that it is one of the community gathering places where people from all walks of life come together to join in the age-old process of choosing who will represent them in their government. 

Whether it's federal, state, or local government, watching people take an active part in the choosing brings genuine joy to my heart. It means you have skin in the game. It means that for better or worse, you are casting your ballot and praying that whoever sits in that seat will make decisions that have the best interests of those they represent at heart. 

What an AMAZING privilege we have to vote in elections. Do we realize the gravity and consideration we must give to which circle we fill in? 

On the flip side, do we cast our vote and then go home and wash our hands of the whole thing - having done our civic duty, do we sit back and give ourselves a free pass to let the experts do their job?

My most favorite civic duty - topping even my pollworker role - is serving my community either through elected office or through the various ways I have to give back. Whether it's a meal for a sick neighbor, a treat for the local library board, or even an ever-growing All Hallow's Eve Chili cook-off that last year served over 500 people, I love getting involved. And my husband and I are teaching our six children to look for ways to serve the community we live in too. 

Election Day isn't the end of our civic responsibility - it's actually the very beginning. And whether you serve on committees or hold public office, whether you visit your neighbors and brighten their day, whether you teach in the schools, preach in the churches, or work in any business, healthcare center/hospital, or own your own business, you bring value and worth to everyone you serve. You not only give dignity to others, but you show others your own worth. 

And that, my dear friends, is the highest civic duty we are called to fulfill. 

When you walk into the election booth this spring, remember that your highest privilege as a member of Jackson County and the United States is not casting that vote - it's what you do after the ballots have been counted.