2014 The Year of the Vote in Shelby County
Use Your Power!
By TaJuan Stout Mitchell
This year we will
have 160 elected positions on the ballot. We have a Shelby County Primary race
in May and on the ballot will be the County Mayor, County Commission, and Clerk
Positions. Then, in August we vote in the
Shelby County General Election for those same positions, School Board Members,
and almost every Judicial Seat in our County.
But, that’s not all, we will also vote at that time in a State Primary
Race for our Governor, State Representatives and Federal Representatives. Finally, we will go back to the polls in
November to vote for the Governor, State Representatives and Federal
Representatives.
This has been the
most difficult article to write because I want to motivate you and others to
vote. I have friends that are disgusted with politics in Memphis and Shelby
County. I hear so often about the broken
promises from elected officials, the ill-equipped leaders who are unable to
plan an agenda and orchestrate it for the betterment of Shelby. You are fatigued
and disappointed. You are bewildered on how we elect leaders based upon name
recognition, rather than ability. You are tired of scared and bought out
leadership. Finally, it is a sad commentary on our system that some believe and
Courts have validated the fact that our elections are sometimes stolen by the
power brokers who prefer political puppets over democracy.
I wish that I could
say that some of their fears are unfounded, but I can’t. But in this article I want you to hear the
voices of those who have led us thus far along the way. Maybe they can convince
you that this Civil Right Struggle is not over.
I encourage you to vote because our
ancestors paid a dear price with their blood, sweat and tears for the right to
vote. I want you to hear their voices.
An
Unknown Black Man attempting to register to vote in Selma, Alabama in 1964
"I am 65 years old,
I own 100 acres of land that is paid for, I am a taxpayer and I have six
children. All of them is teachin', workin'... If what I done ain't enough to be
a registered voter with all the tax I got to pay, then Lord have mercy on
America."
Fannie Lou Hammer
encouraged us “To support whatever is right, and to bring in justice where
we've had so much injustice.”
Voting offers us that opportunity to unseat ineffective people and elect
new energy that will “right the wrongs” of others.
Marian Wright Edelman,
founder of the Children’s Defense Fund said, “The outside world told black kids when I was growing up that we
weren’t worth anything. But our parents
said it wasn’t so, and our churches and our schoolteachers said it wasn’t
so. They believed in us, and we,
therefore, believed in ourselves.”
When we vote for a Juvenile Court Judge and School Board Members we say
that our children are worth everything to us and we are voting to protect their
future.
Now,
here is the voice of a Southerner who found the courage to speak to his own
people against the Jim Crow Laws of the South. “We have talked long enough about equal rights in this country. It is
time to write the next chapter and write it in the books of law.” President
Lyndon B. Johnson to the Congress on January 8, 1964. Well, it is time for us to take that equal
right to the ballot box and never be weary of doing the right thing for the
right reasons.
There
are many reasons to be disillusioned with politics in our governments. But, democracy
it is still the best governance structure in the world and nations all over are
engaged in wars to have the right to vote. We will have four opportunities this
year. Use each of them wisely.
Voting
gives us a chance to voice our values, beliefs, and concerns. Do you want a fully funded school system? Vote for a good Mayor, County Commissioner,
and School Board Member.
Want
a Juvenile Justice System that is fair to our children and offers them hope, rather
than despair? Well, vote for a Juvenile
Court Judge and Clerk that administers justice and discerns when mercy is
needed.
Want
a County that provides real opportunities for the poor, jobless, and
seniors? Vote for good County
Commissioners.
Want
Judges who understand the law and treat all before them with dignity and
respect? Vote for quality Judges in
Shelby and fire those who disrespect you, me, and our neighbors.
Want
a District Attorney General who understands that he or she should protect the
constitutional rights of citizens and aggressively prosecute those who
recklessly violate the law and endanger our society? Decide if you are satisfied with the pursuit
of justice and elect someone you think will serve our community the best.
Please
remember when you refuse to participate in the voting process, you empower
those who are in control and your passive vote gives the people you complain
about the power. Consider stop running
your mouth about the government and run to the polls with your vote.
Finally,
I believe as Christian we are challenged by God to be good neighbors,
employees, spouses, parents, and Children of God. We are encouraged to care about God’s world,
the environment and its people. Voting
gives us a chance to select Godly people who reflect our concerns – health
care, education, justice, and providing needs to the poor.
Well,
I made my best case and I hope to see you at the polls using your power of the
vote to change things for the better
Shelby
County Primary for County Mayor, County Commission, and Clerk Position
May
6, 2014 and Early Voting Starts April 16, 2015
Federal
and State Primary and Shelby County General Election - August 7, 2014
Federal
and State General, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown - November 4
Voters
are required to show photo identification when they arrive at the polls.
Accepted forms of identification include any photo ID issued by the State of
Tennessee—including drivers’ licenses –and photo IDs issued by the federal
government, including U.S. passports, governments employee identification cards
and military ID cards.
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