WHERE ARE ALL THE VOTERS ?

    One of the first friends I made when I moved to Florida in 1989 was Jeff Southall.

    I had just accepted the job as corporate engineer for the Asterisk Radio Group of Ft Lauderdale. Jeff was the engineer at one of their stations in Venice.

    He came to the United States in the 1960's from England. Even before he became a US citizen, he volunteered to serve in the US Army. He served our country in Vietnam.

    He loved living here. It became his home. The thing he loved most was when he got the privilege to enter a voting booth and have his voice count for something. He always said there was never a good reason to miss an election. No excuses.

    We lost Jeff in 1992, in a terrible accident. He was electrocuted while working on a broadcast transmitter for a station in South Florida.

    I think of Jeff every single time I go to vote. 

    Yesterday as I entered Precinct One in Ocala to cast my vote, I again thought of him. As I looked around the huge room I got to thinking : "Where are all the voters"

    I cast my vote for City Council, and the proposed amendments. The entire process took less than five minutes. 

    Returning home, I again had this felling that I was part of my city. My voice counted for something. 

    This morning as I was looking at the results in the Star Banner, I felt my friend Jeff shaking his head in amazement.
   
    "Voter turnout was light on Tuesday, with only 3,407, or 10.45 percent, of the 32,590 registered city voters casting ballots. "
   
    I could not believe the print that was in front of me. Only 3,407 people took five minutes out of their day to vote.

    Shame on the rest. You are letting 10.45 percent of us make the decisions that may effect you. Are you so busy that you can't take five minutes out of your precious day? I can not imagine your day being so full that you do not have time to go vote? 

     If I can work my ten hour day then find the time to vote, WHY CAN'T YOU?

     I realize now that you do have the time. You just don't give a damn.

    And that is the sad part.