Letter to the editor: Understand where your party stands and vote

Why vote? Any way we choose to measure it, the number of people who have been allowed by their government to vote in any meaningful way is extremely small. America has generally been an exception, and today voting is so easy that it is easily frustrated by bad actors. In South Carolina, it is very hard to fraud the system, but in some states not so much.

The larger issue is whether you plan to vote or not. Don't believe the polls. Don't care what opinions you hear about this or that. Just vote. But please know who and what you support. It doesn't take a lot of effort to know where your party stands on issues. If an independent, it doesn't take much effort to know where you stand on issues. The main argument against voting that people use is "it won't matter." Well, it will. Recently elections at all levels have been decided by small margins.

I don't tell folks how to vote. I wish people knew the difference between socialism and capitalism, but many don't and do not care to. They simply vote as others tell them to. Don't be that person. Take time to understand what you are doing and what you are supporting. Voting is not a new thing. But voting in a way that improves our lot and improves who we are as a free people is more than important. It is our lifeblood. We have no right to complain if we do not vote. And, we have no right to grumble if we fail to understand the issues before we vote.

The party differences are stark. The platforms are decidedly different. Politicians once in office make decisions that affect us. Why would we not be interested enough to vote?

JAMES R. CHANDLER JR.

Sumter