The League of Women Voters of Virginia has a great website set up where you can get information on candidates throughout the state at state, regional, and local levels. Please take a few minutes to check it out.
Candidates Forums & Voters Guides 2009
When you go in to cast your vote, you are affecting:
- What laws will be made.
- How laws will be enforced.
- How and WHERE tax money will be spent.
- What businesses are likely to choose to come to your area.
- Your property taxes.
- The quality of education provided to your community’s children.
- Accessibility of a higher education.
- The value of your property.
- Who serves on citizen committees.
- What roads are repaired or expanded.
- Tuition rates of universities and community colleges.
- Access to services such as DMV (if money is cut so are days and hours)
- Rest areas on I-81.
- Law Enforcement.
- Fire and Rescue.
- Social Services.
- What types and where trails and bike-ways are built.
- What types of businesses are available to you locally.
- Funding cuts at State level result in increases at the local level.
- Services that must be provided are often supplemented by State funds. When that money is cut, it falls upon the local jurisdictions to pick up the slack or else it doesn’t happen.
- Quality of drinking water.
- How stormwater issues are dealt with.
- Sewer and garbage issues.
- Maintenance of state and local parks.
- Quality and availability of recreational facilities.
- Health insurance.
- Unemployment insurance.
- Car insurance rates.
- Product safety (agricultural in particular).
- Fraud protection.
- Child welfare and safety.
- Economic Development (creation of JOBS!
- WHEN ELECTIONS ARE HELD!!!!! ( Are they convenient for voters and do they cost or save money for taxpayers.)
And, the list goes on for a long, long time. Your vote is important because the outcome of elections will have a long term effect on your quality of life, your financial resources, your community, and your state.
Please take the time to go vote on November 3rd. And remember that a vote to move the elections to November in Christiansburg will mean a saving of approximately $5000/election (at the minimum, that could double in the next couple of years). Could you think of a better use for that money? Maybe a local farmer’s market? Maybe to apply to the Aquatic Center interest payments? Maybe host another baseball or basketball tournament to bring more business in to the community? Maybe help support the Library or the Free Clinic? Maybe to use as the ‘matching funds’ to help develop sidewalk-trail systems that actually connect with something? Think about it!
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE! USE IT! DON’T REMAIN SILENT!
