No doubt readers have seen quite a few editorials over the past months regarding us urging them to vote.

At the risk of being repetitive we’ve stuck with that mantra for a very good reason: There isn’t enough participation in our democracy as there needs to be.

That’s been the case for a long time, and we all know it, but that should never be an excuse to simply ignore what is not only a fundamental right but a major privilege for anyone who lives in a Republic.

The ability to vote, to be able to decide who among us will be our representative at the local, regional and state level is what separates those who live in a democracy from those how don’t.

It seems so simple yet America has been struggling to get a higher percentage of people to the polls or casting mail-in ballots for decades.

Especially in an off-year election — that is a non-president election — the usual high-octane rhetoric is toned down and therefore the sense of urgency is lowered.

Yet that sense of urgency to participate should never be allowed to wither. The only real, tangible way, residents in the state can make a difference without very much effort is through voting.

We believe that democracy is a pretty big deal. We all take it for granted but during elections is when we must remember that without our participation, democracy dies.

We’re not naïve enough to believe everyone will vote or will decide to vote because of our urging. But we also think we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight, from time to time, how important it is to cast a ballot.

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Speaking of the elections, while the political campaign season is ramping up, it’s clear when it comes to online content, political stories are not resonating with readers the way other stories are. Out of our top 10 most popular stories online as of Thursday, Oct, 20, not one election-related story made the list.

A business story, a sports feature, the reporting on 9-year-old barrel racer from Cove and more beat out articles online about various races around Union County.

Still, we have a duty to cover local politics, and we have a number of election stories coming out early next week. Even if they are not popular.

We’ve had a couple of smaller stories — one about the recognition Side A Brewing received at a Seattle-area festival and the demand in Union County for the updated COVID-19 vaccine booster.

We have a story coming next week on the Stop B2H Coalition taking its case against the proposed Boardman to Hemingway transmission line to the Oregon Supreme Court.


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As always, we couldn’t do this without you. News gathering is a community endeavor, so we’d love to have your partnership and support for our efforts.