Ever heard of the “informed electorate?”

Years ago, Americans concluded that to be good citizens they needed to be educated. You can’t run a free country without some understanding of why and how it works. This is why a public school system, with mandatory attendance, was created. Kids would go to school and learn about their country. The thought here was they would then be able to make better decisions when they later came to vote as citizens. At least, that’s what we owls were able to discern from what we observed.

Ain’t necessarily so. A famous painting from the mid 19th Century by George Caleb Bingham is titled, “The County Election.” Lots of scalawags, ne’er-do-wells and other riff-raff are being led to the polls by sneaky looking politicians. Liquor flows freely. Two scenes depict bribes being exchanged, one happening right before the man goes to vote. An oily, top hatted swell offers the bumpkin a dollar bill. And yes, they are all men. One of my favorite scenes shows a dead-drunk being carried to the polls, the better to exercise his “rights.”

What does this tell us about today? What have we learned since those “good old days?” Today, women have won the right to vote. That took prison, strikes and street conflicts to accomplish. Nowadays people of color can vote, too. They were denied even the right to be considered human until after the Civil War. Then another 100 years of Jim Crow abuse awaited before they were finally protected by federal law in their right to vote.

How well do we protect ourselves with the vote? Are we acting like informed voters? Let’s evaluate our own county voting; we might discover something. For instance, how do we vote on the many elected positions always up for grabs? In any local election, there are lots of positions to be voted on. From county commission to city government, to school boards and a host of others, we are asked to select the best candidate. Who are these people? What do they stand for? How do I find out? Consider that voting is something that requires some preparation, some thought.

Nowadays you won’t find someone giving you a shot of rum to vote for their man. Nobody will offer you a couple bucks while you stand in line to “consider” this or that candidate. But you know, the oily operators are still there. Let’s see how that happens.

It is said by soldiers that their last right in the military was the right to complain. You could complain all you wanted and nothing would change because you weren’t a free agent, rather a service member under the Code of Military Justice. You aren’t asked to vote when the officer says, “Charge!” Something similar happens when it comes to local politics. Let’s see how.

If we as citizens are displeased with what is going on around us, we can vote out the problem. This requires knowing how to do so. We need to know we have to register to vote. We have to read about the candidates, otherwise we might keep voting the same problems back in, over and over. How can this happen, you might ask? Don’t people think through their vote? After all, it is one of the most precious rights in a free country. Here’s why we get the same problems, year after year.

You walk into the voting booth, and there it is. A clever means of taking your thoughtful vote away is subtly placed right there in front of you. You mark one checked box, or click one lever, and you’ve just voted for all the candidates from “one party” for every single election. One and done, out you go. This one click, one party vote is what politicians want you to do. They want you to have the illusion of thought, as you mindlessly vote with one mark the entire party line. All your research on the candidates: who can help my district best, who has the best experience, who even lives in our district, is taken from you. You become a patsy who is led down the garden path of “convenience.”

What’s wrong with saying, “I think this man is best for me in my city council, or that woman is well informed on school matters.” What’s wrong with determining who’s best, not which party they belong to? Take your time. Vote one by one in each election. Give it some thought.

Through the years, we owls have made friends from all across the political spectrum. People, once you get to know them, are usually quite nice. Rarely do you meet some meat-eating firebrand who’s a threat to good, solid government.

Why not take the time to learn a little about each candidate, from all parties? Why not find out what they promise to do? If you are trying to learn a little about an already elected official, the newspaper is usually a good place to start. There you can find out what they once promised to do — and didn’t. Or find out what they did right. Don’t give away your thoughtful vote. Vote election by election, don’t one click and vote “the party line.” The time you spend in the voting booth will benefit us all, and make for a happier, well-run government. Take advantage of a long-ago wise decision that created our school system. It was created because it was important for you to be an informed voter.