Without voting, this isn’t a democracy

Rachel Clement Fluvanna County
Published: July 3, 2008

Did you know that your right to vote is the first law of the land?

Why? If you didn’t have a right to vote, you would not have a democracy.

Also, if you contest your right to vote, it must take precedence on the judge’s docket even over a murder trial, proving how important that right is.

When I was registrar of voters for Albemarle County years ago, a gentleman professor came to my office to register to vote by absentee ballot, as he was moving to another state for a year. I had been in office three days when this happened, so I called Joan Mahan, secretary of the State Board of Elections, and asked how to proceed.

She gave me several questions for the gentleman to determine whether he would officially be living in Virginia or in the other state. Based on his answers, she determined that he would not be eligible to vote in Virginia.

With that he said, “I’ll see you in court!” He sued, and the case went on the docket the very next day.

It was an eye-opener for me, and I learned a valuable lesson about the right to vote.

With the upcoming presidential election, I hope all American citizens who are registered to vote will go to vote, as it is your right to do so, for the democracy in which we have the privilege to live. People who don’t vote don’t have the right to complain.