"Go vote. Its makes you feel big and strong."
That was the way CBS New's Bob Schieffer, moderator of the third presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney concluded the third and final meeting between the candidates, citing it as a quote from his mother.
But the truth of the matter is that many people don't vote.
Even in the last presidential election, though a record-setting number of votes were cast, 131.3 million, the percentage of total registered voters who participated remained flat, about 60 percent, below the 67 percent turnout record (after the voting age was lowered to 18) in 1968.
That means that almost 40 percent of eligible voters decided to sit the process out.
"We don't do very well on our voting record," says former U.S. Rep. Ron Packard, who spent 18 years representing our district in Washington, D.C. before he gave up his seat in 2001. "Some countries, like Mexico, have 90 to 95 percent records. It's much lower here in the United States. Of all places, we ought to be willing and able to vote."
Apathy, Packard suspects, is the main reason why people decide to stay home on election day. Perhaps, he adds, they think their votes don't matter. Or, they may be frustrated with the way the government is running, or the acrimony between the Republican and Democratic parties.
"Voting is the only way to change that," Packard adds. "People need to become familiar with the issue, and vote for the people they think will be able to change that. The system will work."
People should think about all of the sacrifices that members of our military, politicians and others have made to maintain our freedoms, including the right to vote, and cast their ballots out of a feeling of loyalty for the country, Packard said.
"My goodness, the Revolutionary War was over the issue of having the right to determine our government," Packard said.
Packard's story, his election to the U.S. Congress, illustrates the importance of voting. He was only the third person in U.S. history to be elected to Congress by a write-in vote.
Packard was the runner-up in the Republican primary that had a staggering 18 candidates, losing by 92 points to Johnnie Crean. According to reports from the time, Crean's character came into question given the negative tone of his campaign and a fabricated endorsement from Ronald Reagan.
Write-in campaigns are not often successful for national offices. They're more suited for local races, such as city council or school board seats, where candidates can walk the precincts and talk to a lot of people in the voting district. But for national offices, where the voting pool is much larger, the probability of success is smaller.
Packard was able to get a groundswell of support for his write-in campaign, whose biggest challenge was teaching people how to write in their votes, since the ballots did not include a designated spot for a write-in candidate. When the general election came about, Packard won with 37 percent of the vote, besting both a Democrat and a Republican.
"That instance is a good example that people can make a difference by voting if they're convinced that they need to change something," said Packard. "If people really get involved in good government and want good people representing them, then they can make a difference. It might not be just one vote, but in this case it was thousands of united votes, which were able to make history."
Packard said he believes people should study the candidates and the propositions at local, state and federal levels. Packard said he believes he was able to make more of an impact as an elected official at the local level, he served on the Carlsbad Unified School District and was both a councilman and a mayor in Carlsbad, than at the federal level, since he was able to make decisions that impacted the people in his community.
"I can't do anymore than say how important it is for everyone who is qualified to vote to do so," Packard said. "Frankly, local elections are probably more important than national elections."
That was the way CBS New's Bob Schieffer, moderator of the third presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney concluded the third and final meeting between the candidates, citing it as a quote from his mother.
But the truth of the matter is that many people don't vote.
Even in the last presidential election, though a record-setting number of votes were cast, 131.3 million, the percentage of total registered voters who participated remained flat, about 60 percent, below the 67 percent turnout record (after the voting age was lowered to 18) in 1968.
That means that almost 40 percent of eligible voters decided to sit the process out.
"We don't do very well on our voting record," says former U.S. Rep. Ron Packard, who spent 18 years representing our district in Washington, D.C. before he gave up his seat in 2001. "Some countries, like Mexico, have 90 to 95 percent records. It's much lower here in the United States. Of all places, we ought to be willing and able to vote."
Apathy, Packard suspects, is the main reason why people decide to stay home on election day. Perhaps, he adds, they think their votes don't matter. Or, they may be frustrated with the way the government is running, or the acrimony between the Republican and Democratic parties.
"Voting is the only way to change that," Packard adds. "People need to become familiar with the issue, and vote for the people they think will be able to change that. The system will work."
People should think about all of the sacrifices that members of our military, politicians and others have made to maintain our freedoms, including the right to vote, and cast their ballots out of a feeling of loyalty for the country, Packard said.
"My goodness, the Revolutionary War was over the issue of having the right to determine our government," Packard said.
Packard's story, his election to the U.S. Congress, illustrates the importance of voting. He was only the third person in U.S. history to be elected to Congress by a write-in vote.
Packard was the runner-up in the Republican primary that had a staggering 18 candidates, losing by 92 points to Johnnie Crean. According to reports from the time, Crean's character came into question given the negative tone of his campaign and a fabricated endorsement from Ronald Reagan.
Write-in campaigns are not often successful for national offices. They're more suited for local races, such as city council or school board seats, where candidates can walk the precincts and talk to a lot of people in the voting district. But for national offices, where the voting pool is much larger, the probability of success is smaller.
Packard was able to get a groundswell of support for his write-in campaign, whose biggest challenge was teaching people how to write in their votes, since the ballots did not include a designated spot for a write-in candidate. When the general election came about, Packard won with 37 percent of the vote, besting both a Democrat and a Republican.
"That instance is a good example that people can make a difference by voting if they're convinced that they need to change something," said Packard. "If people really get involved in good government and want good people representing them, then they can make a difference. It might not be just one vote, but in this case it was thousands of united votes, which were able to make history."
Packard said he believes people should study the candidates and the propositions at local, state and federal levels. Packard said he believes he was able to make more of an impact as an elected official at the local level, he served on the Carlsbad Unified School District and was both a councilman and a mayor in Carlsbad, than at the federal level, since he was able to make decisions that impacted the people in his community.
"I can't do anymore than say how important it is for everyone who is qualified to vote to do so," Packard said. "Frankly, local elections are probably more important than national elections."