October 2008 Message from Commissioner Aaronson

October 8, 2008

Sheila, my staff and I would like to take this opportunity to wish our Jewish constituents a Happy and Healthy New Year.

As we move into the fall season, it is time to remind ourselves of the importance of voting on November 4th.  No matter which party you belong to, you have the privilege, right and duty to cast your vote.  Too many times, we read or hear complaints from citizens unhappy with the way the president, a governor, a senator, a commissioner, etc. is handling an issue.  If we were to ask them if they voted in the last election, I wonder how many would say yes.

Voting takes only a few minutes of your time.  But the effect of your vote (or lack of it) lasts much longer.  Many people claim that their vote doesn’t really count.  But there are instances where one more vote could have won or lost an election.  We all remember the problem here in Palm Beach County in 2000.  This was not the first time our country experienced this type of problem.  Have you ever heard of Aaron Burr?  Aaron Burr, not Thomas Jefferson, was almost our 3rd president.  A problem in the Electoral College caused the election to be decided by the House of Representatives.  Alexander Hamilton used his influence to swing the election in favor of Jefferson.  The presidential race of 1876 went to Rutherford B. Hayes, but it almost went to Samuel Tilden.  Tilden won the popular vote by 264,000 votes, but lost the election in the Electoral College.  President Kennedy’s popular vote margin over Richard Nixon was only 118,550 out of a total of nearly 69 million voters giving him a majority of 303 to 219 in the electoral vote. 

Many issues are important to all of us.  The economy, taxes, social security, education, crime and the environment come to mind immediately.  We are all affected by how these issues are handled.  If you care as I do (and you should), then you understand that your participation in the November 4th election is most important.  I urge each and every one of you to vote.   Even today, there are places around the world where the people do not have the right to vote.  We are very fortunate here in the United States and we should always participate.

If you have any questions regarding absentee voting, early voting or any other election information, you can contact the Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach (561-656-6200) or in Delray Beach (276-1226).  You can also visit the website:  www.pbcelections.org.