<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3n4dYL_1H3VKQrw00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3n4dYL_1H3VKQrw00" width="780" height="439" ><figcaption>Jefferson County voters cast their ballots at First United Methodist Church in Festus. Patty Meyer photo</figcaption></figure>Every gardener knows you can’t reap a harvest if a seed was never planted, and if you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant a seed.The law of the harvest is simple: you reap what you sow.Voters who avoided the polls on Nov. 3 failed to plant seeds and neglected a chance to help grow a stronger democracy.Sadly, the voter turnout in Jefferson County was a bit lower than was expected.According to the County Clerk’s Office, voter turnout was 47.7 percent. The average November election has about a 53 percent voter turnout, County Clerk Jeannie Goff said. “I know the rain probably had a lot to do with it,” Goff said. “But I really thought we were going to surpass (the average turnout) with the way early voting was happening.”It’s sad that a rainy day might have been a sufficient reason for folks not to make it to the polls. And what’s sadder is that those same voters had other opportunities to exercise their voice, whether it was through mail-in absentee balloting or other early voting options.Thankfully, many did exercise their right to vote early, so inclement weather, a suddenly busy schedule or any other excuse didn’t present them with a potential obstacle to voting.About 14,000 ballots (8.4 percent of all eligible voters) were cast before the Nov. 3 election. Of the 79,264 Jefferson County ballots in the Nov. 3 election, 17.6 percent were submitted early. Compare that to four short years ago when only about 4,000 mail-in and early in-person ballots were cast in the 2022 midterm election.Jefferson County’s early voting turnout mirrors the national trend. According to PBS, more than 43 million mail-in and early in-person votes were cast nationally five days before Election Day, nearly 10 million more than what was cast in 2022.We believe this early voting trend can be a harbinger of greater participation of potential voters in our democracy. The trend reflects the motivation of voters who want to ensure their voice is heard and are more likely to have done the research to determine how they cast their ballot.This year, the Leader made a concerted effort to publish our voters guide weeks before the election. We did that because our readers had been telling us they were planning to vote early and needed the guide to help them make their choices.We believe that earlier publication of that guide – in print and online – did increase its value and access for all of our readers, and we’re looking for other ways to encourage voting.We welcome your thoughts as to how the Leader can drive more participation in our elections, as well as how community members can help with a shared goal of a more engaged voting population.You can express those thoughts in our letter to the editor column or by sharing your suggestions in an email or visit to our Leader office.Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”If our goal is to create a more engaged voting population, we cannot succeed if we refuse to put in the effort. Taking a shot gives you a chance at success, while hesitation guarantees zero chance.</div></body>

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Every gardener knows you can’t reap a harvest if a seed was never planted, and if you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant a seed. The law of the harvest is simple: you reap what you sow. Voters who avoided the polls on Nov. 3 failed to...

OUR OPINION: Voting needs to become a priority

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Every gardener knows you can’t reap a harvest if a seed was never planted, and if you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant a seed. The law of the

OUR OPINION: Voting needs to become a priority

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