Voting's a duty

Just over 40 percent of Douglas County's active voters turned out to the polls on Tuesday to cast a ballot.

Fortunately more than 31 percent had already cast their ballots early. We have to assume those folks are the hard core voters and would have been out on Election Day come rain or shine.

Another assumption is that more voters would not have substantially changed the outcome of the election in the county, since 71 percent is a fairly representative sample.

But it is interesting to note that Douglas County Question 1, which would have raised the sales tax to support law enforcement failed by 1,851 votes. That means the potential fate of Douglas County was decided by 926 people or fewer than 2 percent of the population.

It seems a shame that our troops are fighting and dying in defense of, among other things our right to vote, and some folks can't be bothered to cast a ballot.

The excuses are myriad. Folks are working, too busy making ends meet to participate in their government. They don't know who all the candidates are or what issues are important. The polls are hard to find and there's a line when we get there.

No people in the history of civilization have had so much freedom, so much prosperity.

And yet, 30 percent of registered voters felt there was something more important than to tend the garden of our republic.

As the most powerful people on the planet, no one can take our freedom away from us. The only way we can lose it is to throw it away.