By Chancellor Bernie Patterson
"Bad governments are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.”
In less than 10 days — and some would say not soon enough — Americans will exercise their right to vote. It is one of the most fundamental rights we have. Yet close to half of those eligible to vote do not bother.
I encourage everyone to honor the right, the privilege, to vote. Since the earliest days of our country, free elections have been fought-for, protected and revered. We owe ourselves the same determination and dedication to vote and to expect an orderly transition of power.
As we go to vote Tuesday, Nov. 8, we will not see militia, guard dogs or armed vehicles in the streets. Struck by this realization several years ago, I called my best friend whose son is an officer in the U.S. Marines to say thank you for protecting our freedoms.
Many Americans take this freedom for granted. The United States is one of 86 free countries among 195 surveyed by Freedom House. This independent watchdog organization listed 59 countries as partially free and 50 not free in 2015. The global share of free countries has declined in the past decade. Forty percent of the world’s population live in free countries while 36 percent live in countries that are not free.
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