Let's Start with the Vote

I thought it would be a great idea to start this blog with our recent Election Day. Yup, we had a Primary Election yesterday, did you know that? I went to my polling place at Samantha Smith Elementary and found that it had been moved to the Fire Station on 228th. I guess I didn't get the memo.

Pulling up to the station, I didn't see any VOTE HERE signs until I pulled in and saw a very small sign. There were signs all over the door, but you couldn't see them from the street.

I was happy to see some young poll workers along with all the senior citizens we see every year. The room was a lot less cumbersome than the Smith library and as always everyone was helpful.

This year I decided to use the Accessible Voting Unit instead of the regular paper ballot just because I was the only one voting at the time and no one else needed it. It actually took a little longer than a paper ballot because there were other forms to fill out, but all in all it was a quick and easy process.

According to the King County Election website, Sammamish had a dismal turnout--only 12.09% of Sammamish voters turned up at the polls. Our apathy was only outdone by Duvall where only 11.18% of voters cast their ballots.

I have a theory. Whenever I go to vote, I rarely see anyone (besides me) below 60 voting unless its a bigger election--like for the President. Sammamish is a rather young city; the median age is 35. Older people tend to vote more--whether its because they care more or have the time during the day, I don't know. Maybe it's a mix of both.

In Medina, for instance, over 23% of its voters showed up to vote yesterday. Medina's median age is 43. But, other factors could also come into play: Medina is a smaller community and there are probably a lot more millionaires in Medina who may have some more free time.

But, then again, maybe we just need more visable VOTE HERE signs on the day of the election to remind people to stop in and vote.

Voting in these small elections is crucial to our every day lives. It's nice to know my vote counts for a bigger percentage in Sammamish than it would in a larger election. I was one of only 3065 voters in Sammamish. Even if all of Sammamish's 24265 registered voters voted, my vote would still count for a lot more than in a Nationwide or Statewide election. Plus, the decisions our local elected officials make are more likely to directly effect us than the ones on a larger level. Perhaps that's another reason why so many in Medina show up. There are only 2119 registered voters with only 596 voters making an appearance yesterday. Each of those votes really counted!