By: The CNM Chronicle Editorial Board
It has become common for adults to treat the presidential race as the only time in which they should be civically engaged.
In fact, there are many local elections during the intervening four years, and important decisions are made every day by politicians on local and national levels.
Information about these decisions, and the votes that often precede them, is accessible on websites like votesmart.org, congress.org, opencongress.org and house.gov.
Websites like these can be helpful to gain an understanding of the issues at hand and provide guidelines for contacting representatives.
Bookmark those pages that are comprehensible. Follow diverse types of newspapers and groups or newsfeeds on Facebook. Opportunities are also there to see official political records through the Public Records Act.
Visit county clerk and city council websites to know when political decisions are being discussed and decided. Perform any extra research then vote by writing, calling or emailing political officials and telling them how to represent the community.
Many feel they are not represented by their president or members of congress in some way or another, but being active on a local level better ensures that concerns are addressed by higher levels of government.
Voicing an opinion might seem inconvenient and pointless, but having no opinion will give politicians the freedom to make the decisions they think are best for a community without having to consider the ideas of those in that community.
The laws of supply and demand still apply in the world of politics. Always is the time to be aware of what is going on.
