A week on from the national and local elections, things are settling down and getting back to normal. Hopefully, you took part in the election process by exercising your right to vote, and I hope that your candidate won.
Regardless of how you voted and winners and losers and party affiliation, please realize the importance of both your vote and your place in the democratic process.
Truly, moving forward, there are many political challenges ahead for both major parties in the United States and, in reality, for us all.
Nationally, all eyes around the world were focussed upon our 2016 Presidential election and the political impact thereof. Locally, we still have some political races yet to be decided through runoff elections.
One of our two Louisiana U.S. Senate seats and also our 4th Congressional District seat in the U.S. Congress are left. These runoff elections will be held on Saturday Dec. 10, 2016 and both of these political races will have major implications as to the relevance Louisiana will have in our national legislative bodies.
Furthermore, the Louisiana December runoff election will be the only nationally related political race going on in the United States at that time. That means Louisiana will be the focus of our entire nation for the month-long time period spanning Nov. 8 and Dec. 10.
Again, it is crucially important to get out and vote in the runoff elections – as turn out in runoff elections is traditionally extremely low.
We must practice our right to vote and take it seriously. Our vote counts and if we choose not to go to the polls, then as I said in last week’s column, we have no right to complain about the events that will shape the course of our political futures.
Getting back to the election, if your candidate didn’t win, do not give up on the political process and please, do not fail to get out and vote in the runoff election.
Moving forward and working together, no matter which side we are on, is what makes both this country great (and our state, parish and city in my opinion) the greatest place to live that the world has ever known.
If this were not true, then why are so many people from all around the world willing to sacrifice everything that they have in order to live as a citizen in the United States?
We must take part in the democratic process at all times, win our lose. I am looking forward to the days ahead and the vast opportunities that await us all both nationally and locally. I truly hope that you are too.
Randy Brown is General Manager of the BPT. He can be reached at rbrown@bossierpress.com
