Decision time. This is IT. Today is Election Day.

Time to choose: either VOTE or SURRENDER.
What'll it be?

IMAGES: Many thanks to Keith Ellison, and Pinterest for the "Not voting is not a protest" quote graphic (American NewsX, however, has been linked to fake news); to the Sarasota County Democratic Party for the "Go Vote" graphic; and to the ACLU of Alabama for the "Vote Like your Rights Depend on it" graphic.

Use your VOTER voice

Your vote is your voice

When my kids were small we talked about using our "indoor voice" and our "outdoor voice" when trying to teach courteous and practical volume control. But there's only one appropriate volume to use when voting. It's your affirmative voice, to tell the world what you want and how it should comport itself.

So do that, please!

IMAGES: Many thanks to WTXL Channel 27 for the "Your Voice - Your Vote" graphic; to Imagur and vinrussell for the "Powerful Weapon" graphic; and to the Kansas ACLU for the "Power Vote" image.

Your Vote is your Power

Make your voice heard.

IMAGES: Many thanks to The Riverside Church, for the illustration for its article "Lift Every Voice and Vote," to The Bull Elephant, for the graphic on reasons why one should vote; and to EdTechSandyK, for the quote from John F. Kennedy.

Does your state allow advance voting?

Big election. Don't miss out.

Dear Citizens of the USA:

Please plan to vote.
Please learn about the issues, the candidates, the propositions and ballot measures.
If you haven't started educating yourself, start now!
Once you've gained a good background, put it to work.
Make your voice heard.
VOTE.

IMAGES: Many thanks to the On the Road to Crunchy Mama blog for the "Educate yourself. Now Vote." button design, and to NPR and Smartboy 10/Getty Images for the multicolored voting hands illustration.

Of PRIMARY importance!

In both Kansas and Missouri today (also Michigan and Washington state), we're holding primary elections. Several more states are holding them later in August.

In Kansas, we just received wonderful news, thanks to a wise judge who actually cares about the Constitution: Approximately 18,000 voters, whose local and state votes would have been excluded by an unjustifiable law, now will have their votes counted.

Where do people get the idea that primary elections don't matter?

But I'm haunted by the question: how many of them will actually bother to vote? Many people seem to think primaries aren't all that important. Especially on the local level, they couldn't be more wrong.

I'm frustrated by the fact that only ultra-conservative right-wing voters seem to have grasped this simple fact. They turn out in force, even for low-voter-turnout primary elections. Perhaps especially for those, because they know how important they are. In much of straight-party-ticket Kansas, the winner of the election is decided in the Republican primary.

Kansans certainly have no excuse for ignorance on this matter. Primary-election victories by hard-right-wing candidates have led us down the path of fiscal destruction in recent elections. The coffers are empty in "Brownbackistan," and we've had our credit rating downgraded twice--but only a hardy handful in Topeka seem to care. We need to make them ALL care. 

Don't sit this--or any election--out, and assume "it doesn't matter." It does.

Do not be deceived. Elections--all elections, including primaries--matter. And your vote may be only one vote, but elections have turned on only a few votes. Don't leave it to chance, or figure (God help us!) "it doesn't matter who's in office."

If you don't vote, you can't legitimately complain, although few people let that stop them. But if you do vote--maybe you won't have so much to complain about later. Why don't you give it a try? Educate yourself, and vote! Please!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Michigan's WILX Channel 10 for the "Primary Elections" graphic, and to Texas GOP Vote (See? They get it!) for the "Your Vote Counts" image.