Tie in Tenino race is good reminder that every vote counts

I talk about it all the time, but the last election proved it: every vote matters.

The Tenino mayoral race in the August primary resulted in a tie: 136-136. A flip of a coin determined whether Bret D. Brodersen or Wayne Fournier would be first on the general election ballot. Washington State is one of 35 states that allows tied races to be decided by lot. Can you imagine flipping a coin in a general election tie to determine who will be mayor for the next four years?

Next year, we will experience an increase in voter turnout. We expect over 85 percent of registered voters to cast their ballots for president. But in local elections we don’t deal with millions of voters; rather we deal with thousands. While voting for president is important, a citizen’s vote is more likely to influence elections results for local races like Olympia mayor or Lacey fire commissioner.

The November 2014 general election saw the lowest voter turnout since 1942 when gas was less than 20 cents a gallon and the average home cost $6,950.

Like 1942, only 36.3 percent of registered voters across the country cast their ballots in 2014. Thurston County fared better, with 52.53 percent of voters turning out. Sadly, only 7 percent of the total votes in Thurston County came from millennials – a far cry from the 33 percent percent of the voting age population millennials represent.

The community will be shaped by the decisions of a city council, port commission, school board and fire protection district, whose members will be elected by only five out of every 10 voters. The other five voters will have no say until the next election. The future of school programs, police and safety, fire response times, land use and other local issues that affect us all on a daily basis will be decided by the elected officials we elect this year.

Voters in Tenino know the importance of every vote in local elections, as they choose a candidate in a hotly contested mayoral race. While Thurston County as a whole saw 22 percent voter turnout in the August 2015 primary election, 38 percent of voters in Tenino turned out.

It’s critical for all voters to cast votes so we have a truly representative democracy. Elected leaders must also be able to rely on a higher voter turnout in order to fully represent their constituencies.

Elections shouldn’t be decided by a flip of a coin; they should be decided by you, the voter. Remember Tenino as you consider the heavy weight of your vote this November.

One person’s single vote can make the difference.

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Tie in Tenino race is good reminder that every vote counts."