Letter to the Editor: Vote and vote early

Dear Editor:

If you’ve never voted, or now feel like your vote doesn’t matter, please reconsider!

A vote in Mendocino County will affect our collective future in many ways. On the most local level, we will be determining who will be sitting on our city councils and as our supervisor in the 3^rd district. We will also be voting on creating affordable housing and loans to vets; bonds to help middle-class Californians buy a new home; and whether you have to use an ID to vote. These propositions may affect you.

But our votes also affect national politics, determining who will represent us in the U.S. House of Representatives. We need the majority in the House for many reasons, but there’s at least one that is severely impacting Mendocino County: curtailing any further cuts to our healthcare and putting a stop to the closure of our rural hospitals.

Our votes affect major decisions that show up at the gas pump, with prices up 75% from one year ago. And we don’t need Consumer Affairs to tell us that grocery prices are up 5-6% or more. The decisions made by those in power shape our lives, our communities, and our future. When we vote for our national leaders who get us into tariff wars and actual wars, our votes shape affordability at home.

October 17 is a day called out to bring attention to “Vote Early.” It’s planned to be a day of peaceful, non-partisan voter participation and being in community with each other. People will be gathering to raise their voices and express their desire to keep elections fair and encourage our community to vote early so that your electoral wishes are counted.

Voting early lets us make our voices heard on our own terms, before Election Day, before the last-minute chaos and before anyone else can decide for us what happens in our community. You can find the location of an event near you at nokings.org/#map.

Voting is our superpower!

Mary Burns and Kim Bancroft
Willits