Cast your vote

Election outcomes are determined by those who participate. In short, and as the Iowa Lottery likes to point out, you can't win if you don't play.

Elected officials make important decisions about how society will distribute its collective resources and what restraints should be placed on individual behavior. The drinking age, the amount of money teachers are paid and which businesses should receive incentives for investment in our communities are only three of the things elected representatives get to decide.

While voting does not guarantee an individual's preference will prevail, it does open additional doors to democracy. Elected officials, while concerned for the whole of their constituents, give added weight to the thoughts of those that have voted and those most likely to vote.

The right to vote embodies the spirit of American democracy. The casting of a single ballot has implications far beyond one election, because it sets the tone and course of government for years to come. Your voice is valuable and important. Vote.