This Tuesday, September 26th, Lawrencians will go to the polls to practice their constitutional right to vote and to elect a group of women and men who, in turn, will represent those voters in decisions creating policies for the next two years in the case of the councilors and by four in the case of the mayor.
We are sure that Lawrence never saw so many candidates in a race including for mayor. Of 41 candidates in total, we see many new names running for the first time. We knew that over time, there would be Hispanics running against each other, but we did not suspect it would be so soon.
This city has never seen so much involvement on the part of the Hispanic community since, of the 41 registered candidates only 11 do not carry Latin surnames.
The decision you are going to have to make will not be easy. Your choice will not only affect or benefit you and your family but all citizens in general.
When you take the marker, do not rush. Look at the names that appear before you. If it’s a candidate for re-election, before you favor or deny your vote, think about what he or she has done to benefit the City of Lawrence and all Lawrencians.
If the candidate is new, take the same care. Think, ‘Why should I give him or her my vote?’ Only when you are satisfied, you give a candidate your approval.
Remember, this election is the so-called Preliminary Election. They are as important or more than the Finals. The candidate, for whom you are voting now, will be the one that according to your criteria should become part of a smaller group of candidates who will meet in late November.
If you want your candidate to be part of that small group, make sure you vote in the Preliminary Election. Otherwise you will be voting for somebody else’s candidate in November.
