Not too many people have voted yet in the Langley Township school district byelection.
This is pretty understandable. We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, still limiting trips, still not doing any big group events. No in-person all-candidates meetings for anyone.
And beyond that, it seems to be for the most part a quiet election. None of the candidates are accusing any of the others of eating babies. None are running on a platform of instituting the Hunger Games. They all seem interested in student achievement and safety first and foremost.
That said, the numbers at advance polls – fewer than 400 people voting so far – are pretty low, even for a school board election for one seat.
We talk a lot about how much we value democracy in this country.
More than that – to be totally honest – we talk about how much we get angry with the people we vote for. We love to go on about politicians who won’t listen or spend money on the wrong things or should get the boot.
Well, it’s an election again.
If you have kids in the system, or grandkids, or you just care about the quality of local public education, maybe you should take a look at the websites and videos and pamphlets from your seven local candidates.
You can pick your candidate based on anything you like – a particular goal they have for the district, their past experience, their volunteering or activism in the community or even whether you know them personally. Langley’s still a small town in many ways, and it’s likely you’ve crossed paths with at least one of the candidates at some point or another.
Just remember – if you want to complain about the school board next year, you might not get taken seriously if you admit you didn’t vote.
– M.C.
