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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Shasta-area natives bring fight for salmon to Ashland Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 Helman students illustrate kindness, love Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford Ashland land use rule review continues State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. Hupp Death Notices Gary Wayne Campbell Brian Douglas Bellamy Death Notices Sports Latest Stories They're twins, and they're good Royals' Guthrie to face Giants' Hudson in Game 3 App Finder: Best basketball apps No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida High school They're twins, and they're good Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida What slump? Grizzlies drop-kick Eagles Grizzlies row to raise money for regatta Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield Southern Oregon University No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida SOU football team falls to No. 7 in NAIA rankings No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Third-ranked Concordia strikes quick, topples SOU Opinion Latest Stories Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' Teaching the First Amendment Granlund cartoon: New York Ebola Jim Brock: Should government legalize gay marriage? Amy Gehrt: Your vote counts this Election Day Editorial Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' Our View: Cheering Ashland's own Kitzhaber is the better choice Our View: Merkley, with a nudge Our view: Positive about Bates Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the editor Guest opinions Teaching the First Amendment Guest Opinion: Media are part of the pot prohibition problem Wilderness successes could be lost if funding not restored Religion and politics in America City should revise its rules for murals Revels Latest Stories Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Griffin heads to Historic Ashland Armory Best Bets Oct. 23-30 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Theater New plays debut at ANPF Music Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Q&A: Broken Down Guitars The Farr Side: Bryan Adams releases album of influential hits Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU Q&A: Becky Alter Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: ‘Whiplash’ hits high notes Movie review: ‘Birdman,’ Keaton soar Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Portal to freedom and expanded human potential Frank Talk: A little Halloween humor circa 1970 Barry Lewis: The idiot light Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 6 of 7 Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... Amy Gehrt: Your vote counts this Election Day By Amy Gehrt DailyTidings.com By Amy Gehrt Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 8:07 am Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 8:41 AM By Amy Gehrt Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 8:07 am Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 8:41 AM » Social News Election Day is fast approaching — a fact of which you are no doubt aware, as political ads flood the airwaves, campaign messages clog your social media feeds and email inboxes, and candidates (often with their politically connected friends in tow) rack up mileage pressing the flesh at rallies, meet-and-greets and fundraisers. And while many voters tend to dismiss the midterm elections — about 40 percent of eligible voters typically cast ballots, a drop-off of about 15 to 20 percent, when compared to a presidential election year — staying home from the polls could be a costly mistake. There are a number of key races on the Nov. 4 ballot. Voters in 36 states will be electing governors, and, according to the HuffPost Pollster numbers, nine of those — Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan and Wisconsin — are separated by toss-up margins of three points or less. Three others — Alaska, Georgia and Rhode Island — are added to the group when the margin is raised to three to four points. There are also 36 U.S. Senate seats up for grabs this election, and who wins those contests could shift the balance in Congress. According to Nate Silver’s statistics-driven FiveThirtyEight Senate forecast, Republicans currently have a 63.9 percent chance of wresting away control from the Democrats. That would give the GOP control of both houses of Congress. It seems strange to me that the Republican obstructionism, led by the childish “If I can’t get my way, I’m taking my ball and going home” tea partiers might actually be rewarded. Are voters so short-sighted they’ve forgotten all of the budget battles that brought our country to the brink time and again because these clowns couldn’t compromise one iota? Many haven’t, of course, but while the increasingly angry conservative base will head to the polls in droves, those who hold more moderate or liberal views aren’t expected to cast ballots in as large of numbers. That’s somewhat surprising to me. After all, millions of Americans are benefitting from Obamacare. For the first time in this nation’s history, gay couples can marry in more states than they cannot. Women, too, have gained rights. Pay equity is closer to reality, we have more control over our reproductive rights, and the Dems have made raising the minimum wage — an issue that disproportionately impacts women — a priority, despite vocal GOP opposition. And while progress has certainly been made, there is more work to be done. Do we really want a Republican-controlled Congress at the helm when the U.S. is making policy on issues such as climate change, immigration and civil rights issues? Do we want them to hold up important appointments to key posts? It certainly would have been nice to have a surgeon general to lead the Ebola response, but President Barack Obama’s nominee has been caught in Congressional gridlock since late 2013, due to objections by conservatives — and one of their all-important, moneyed lobbying groups. A seat or two may also open up on the U.S. Supreme Court in the next couple of years. And if you’ve been paying attention to their big rulings at all, you know the outcome frequently comes down to one “swing” vote. With a host of important issues likely to come before the nation’s high court, does anyone doubt any Obama nominees would also be held up in the confirmation process indefinitely? By all accounts, the outcome of the midterm election hinges on the turnout of women, minorities and young people. Conservative media has been targeting young women in particular this election cycle, with some even questioning whether young women should serve on jury duty or even be allowed to vote at all. Media Matters for America, a nonprofit progressive media watchdog group, reports that Kimberly Guilfoyle of Fox News’ “The Five” said during the Oct. 21 show that young women “lack life experience and just ‘don’t get it.’ Instead, she said, they should ‘go back on Tinder or Match.com.’” Bill O’Reilly made even more offensive comments about women in general on his Oct. 20 Talking Points Memo segment, relying on that misogynistic go-to that basically amounts to “Oh, silly women can’t help but be led by their emotions, so best to just stick to cooking and cleaning and leave the voting to the menfolk.” Want to prove them wrong? Study up on the issues and candidates, then cast an informed vote. You don’t have to love every candidate you choose to exercise your civic duty — sometimes picking the lesser of the two evils is enough. And remember, if you don’t like who’s running, you can get involved and help change things from the inside ... maybe even run for office yourself. But staying home and not voting only hands victory to the very people who want you to stay away from the polls. And if they don’t want you to vote, that should tell you all that you need to know about their motivations, and whether they can be trusted to make decisions that impact us all. Pekin Times city editor Amy Gehrt may be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @AmyGehrt. By Amy Gehrt DailyTidings.com By Amy Gehrt Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 8:07 am Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 8:41 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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