Vote!

"You might think your vote alone means nothing, but you are one among millions. Voting is not an individualist pursuit, but rather reflective communities using their voices in hopes of being seen and heard. Your voice and vote alone mean something."

- Kendra Horsley

"In a generation that began with 9/11 and is now reaping the consequences of Covid-19 it’s difficult not to ask the question “why bother?” But who else? If not us, who else will take up this cross and fight for the change we all desperately need?"

- Joy Main

"Using your voice to enact change is a privilege that is not afforded to everyone. Show up for our democracy and use your vote to make a difference for your future and the future of those around you."

- Christa Lotz

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Historical Perspectives on The Significance of Voting

Dr. Rich Lofthus

Throughout most of human history, the few have governed over the many. In the ancient world, political power was linked to divinity in order to justify the notion that a few had the authority to rule over the bulk of society. Ancient governments were often theocratic—governments that claimed to have the power to integrate the wider society with the deity or deities found in their various pantheons. This approach to government carried over into the modern world, and we can find the notion of the “divine right of kings” used to legitimize hereditary monarchies in countries such as France or Russia. The coverage devoted to the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth reminds us that even in the modern world, many people are fascinated with monarchy. 

But in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a new way of thinking about politics emerged as political philosophers such as John Locke claimed that popular sovereignty was the only legitimate foundation for a society formed around his notions of the social contract. Locke was exploring the political ramifications of a wider movement we have come to know as the Enlightenment, which included Thomas Jefferson’s claim that “all men are created equal” and Montesquieu’s observation that governments must feature a separation of powers. Thomas Paine denounced monarchy as an unfit form of government, and Jefferson told us that “the mass of mankind was not born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few, booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately by the grace of God.” The United States was the first republic to be founded on these Enlightenment principles. George Washington observed that “The foundation of our Empire was not laid in the gloomy age of Ignorance and Suspicion,” he wrote, “but at an Epoch when the rights of mankind were better understood and more clearly defined, than at any former period.” In the aftermath of the American Revolution, Washington referred to Americans as “actors on a most conspicuous theater.”

The right to vote in free and fair elections is at the bedrock of our quest to form “a more perfect union”, and we need to remind ourselves that we can have full confidence in our system—it is the best in the world. This is rare, even in the modern world. Recently, sham elections in Russian occupied territories of Ukraine produced results generated at gun point, culminating in a farcical Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine. The elections in November deal with issues of monumental significance, such as the status of the rule of law in the United States and the fate of Ukraine. We must remind ourselves that previous generations struggled to extend the right to vote to us, and as “actors on a most conspicuous theater” we have a solemn responsibility to exercise that right and to accept the results.

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"I completely understand the importance of voting and using my voice. Without doing so, I have no right to complain about what the government is doing “wrong” because you have your chance to help make a change and you blew it. But I also feel that it's important to know what you're voting for just as much as voting."

- Katie Farrell

"We are lucky to be born in both the time and place when people, no matter what gender or race they may be, can vote. So why on earth would we not do it? Being given the choice to enact change and choose who leads us is a luxury not all people have, and it wasn’t always around. It is important to know what you want this nation to be aloud, and then fight for it to happen. Voting is the best way to do that."

- Grace Holys

"Everybody says voting is important. Whenever I ask why, they say, “It’s so that your voice can be heard” or “your vote can make a difference!” I find that to be a bunch of crap. I believe voting is important, not for the nation as a whole, but for every individual. If you vote, there’s no guarantee you made a difference or your voice was heard. However, those people also only want you to vote for their guy. Voting isn’t for anyone else but yourself. Your vote means that you’re speaking your mind. Sure, no guarantee it amounts to anything, but your vote determines your character. Do you need to vote in every election? Not if both (or all) candidates are no good. Here’s what I’ll tell you: vote for who you believe in, not for the lesser of two evils."

- David Phillips

"As college students our voices shape the policies that determine our current education, our future job market, and our overall quality of life from here on out. The world we will inherit tomorrow weighs heavily upon our actions today. By choosing to vote you are actively pursuing a better life for yourself, your children, and all of those around you. As an education major and future teacher, I find it especially important to exercise the rights of our democracy, as my vote not only affects myself, but all of the children who will soon be in my classroom as well."

- Kaela Martinez

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How to Register to Vote:

Click this link, print the Voter Registration Form, fill-out the form, sign it and then submit it to your County Auditor. Your Voter Registration form with an original signature must be received by the auditor 15 days before any election if you wish to vote in that election. South Dakota law does not allow you to submit your voter registration form via fax or email.

Mail registration to:
Yankton County Auditor
Patti Hojem
321 W. 3rd St., Suite 100
Yankton, SD 57078-4396