Fall is officially here, and that can mean only one thing. No, not football. Or pumpkin spice lattes. Or back to school. Or Halloween. Or Thanksgiving.
It’s election season!
OK, so maybe you’re not as excited as we are, but you should be. You can’t vote on the next president of the United States this fall — that won’t come for another three years — but the 2013 election will probably have a greater impact on your day-to-day life than that anyway.
That’s because New Jersey’s gubernatorial race will highlight the Nov. 5 General Election, with incumbent Republican Chris Christie taking on state Senate Democrat Barbara Buono.
Didn’t realize this was happening? Then you probably haven’t watched any television, listened to any radio, read any newspapers or surfed the web at all over the last few months. That barrage of political advertising is only going to increase as we creep closer and closer to election day.
The governor in New Jersey has a much bigger impact on your day-to-day life than the president of our nation. His or her administration’s decisions affect you more immediately, from the taxes you pay, to the cost of your insurance, to the availability of jobs, to how fast you’re allowed to drive on the highway, and so on.
Sure, the president gets more publicity for his actions, but what his administration does has more of a longer-lasting impact on your life.
The point here is that, despite its less attractive appeal — although this Christie vs. Buono race certainly is attractive — as a New Jersey resident, should be just as interested in this election, and just as willing to vote, as you are for the next president.
So go to the polls on Nov. 5 to cast your vote.
In addition to the governor’s race, you will have the chance, in many towns and boroughs, to vote for school board candidates and council/committee/mayoral candidates. When the dust has settled, this could end up being one of the more impactful elections on your daily life in recent memory.
Don’t be lazy. Don’t feel like Nov. 5, 2013, isn’t as special as Nov. 6, 2012, was or as special as Nov. 8, 2016, will be. That’s simply not true for New Jerseyans.
And if you’re really in the voting spirit now, don’t forget you can vote on Oct. 16 in a special election for a U.S. Senate seat between Democrat Cory Booker and Steve Lonegan.
This is going to be fun. Are you ready to participate?
Your thoughts:
Do you plan on voting in the Nov. 5 General Election? Why or why not? Do you think it holds the same importance as a presidential election? Let your voice be heard through a letter to the editor.
