Editorial roundup: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022

A recent editorial from a South Carolina newspaper:

Index-Journal

Aug. 12

On a stellar 130 years, candidates, voting and voters

That's a long time, but it's worth it.

Reference here is to how long Connie Maxwell Children's Ministries has been in operation here in Greenwood and across the state with its satellite campuses that once were primarily geared toward rescuing orphaned children. Last week, it celebrated 130 years of service.

Thumbs up on your longevity, and an even bigger thumbs up on the impact your facilities have had on countless numbers of children, young adults and families. Connie Maxwell has turned out some of the most successful people who very well might have otherwise had a more difficult life.

The midterms are a few months away, but they'll be here soon enough. Election Day has a hyper-local flavor to it as well with a number of grassroots seats open on municipal and school board levels. And that is where our thumbs up comes into play.

We have expressed dismay and disappointment more than once when a local office is up for an election to fill a vacancy, but no one comes forward to seek the seat. More than once, it has taken a nearly last-minute write-in announcement for the seat to be filled.

Here, however, we see an election season coming in which not only incumbents are wanting to continue serving the public in one position or another, but also fresh faces, people who also see themselves as fit for the office or, perhaps, more fit for the office than the incumbent.

That's what our system is all about, folks. People run for office, voters give them a yay or nay and then the voters can choose to return them to office, should the officeholders seek reelection, or voters can replace them with another candidate they think is better qualified.

While on the topic of elections, we must also extend a thumbs down to the many, many people who did not participate in the Greenwood City Council Ward 2 special election.

Yes, we know that voter participation in special elections is largely doomed in the first place, but it should concern city residents and Ward 2 residents in particular when less than 1% of the eligible voters turned out to cast their vote in a race to fill the unexpired term of Patricia Partlow, who died in May.

There were about 1,800 voters who had a 12-hour window to head to the polls Tuesday, but only 101 showed up. James Jones and Robert Dean Jr. at least showed enough interest to serve Ward 2 residents that they sought the office, so far more than 101 residents should have taken the time to cast a vote for one or the other. Kudos to the candidates for running, and congratulations to Jones on his win.

But again, thumbs down to the voters who did not cast a vote. Don't complain about anything Jones or the rest of city council does as it pertains to Ward 2. You lost that privilege by not voting. Oh, and for a bit more perspective, know this: The special election came with a price tag. Poll workers and paid elections office staff don't work for free, and voting machines have associated cost. That election exceeded a price tag of $4,000.