Is Your Vote a Blank Check?

Did your ballot come with fine print? Did casting your vote mean you agreed, without question, to every decision your elected official would make over the next four years? Of course not. And yet, some members of our local government seem to believe that election results grant them unchecked authority—that your vote was a blank check to push through whatever agenda they please, without regard for public input.

Take, for example, the attempt to dismantle Samuels Public Library. Where was the option on your ballot to approve or reject such an extreme move? Did you see a bubble next to Jamison or Stanmeyer that said “Eliminate our community’s library”? I didn’t because it wasn’t there.

Participatory democracy does not end on Election Day. A healthy democracy requires elected officials to listen—not only to the people who voted for them but to all the voices in their district. Public comments, community forums, and town halls exist for a reason: so that leaders can govern with the people, not OVER them. When officials ignore overwhelming public opposition—whether on the library or any other issue—they are failing their duty to represent the entire community.

The people of this county have spoken—again and again—in defense of our library. Our leaders would do well to remember that elections grant them the privilege of serving, not a mandate to impose personal ideologies at the expense of the public good.

A vote is not a blank check. It is a trust. And trust, once broken, is difficult to regain. The reason they—with the exception of Cullers—refuse to hold a referendum is clear: a referendum would give the public a direct say, turning that blank check into a clear directive. It would hold them accountable and limit their ability to push through an agenda the community does not support. Perhaps they fear that when the people have the final word, their power will no longer go unchecked?

November is coming. Take back your power.

Kelsey Lawrence, Fork District
Warren County, VA

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