"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
Recent Primary elections caused our editorial board some concern.
Not concern for who was elected -- but concern for the lack of you who voted.
14-percent.
14-percent???
Only 14-percent of North Carolinians voted in the May 4th primary??
What?
It gets worse.
In the second primary election in June, a dismal 4-and-a-half percent turned out.
This Voter Apathy and extreme lack of interest in the elections is appalling.
Folks -- voting is a right.
Our forefathers died for it.
You have that right because of their sacrifices.
But it's also a responsibility – one we ALL need to take seriously.
It's very, very simple.
To register to vote in North Carolina, you must:
A) Be a a U.S. Citizen.
B) Have lived in the state for 30 days before the election and not be registered elsewhere.
C) Be at least 18 years old.
So here's our early reminder:
Get registered before the elections on November 2nd.
You've got ample time.
That's the nice way of encouraging you.
A viewer, John, writes in to Speak Out and says it a bit differently --
"Do you think anyone will notice when this country is stolen because we don't care enough to vote?"
I'm sure hope not John, but I think you just helped get their attention.
Tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com
