Election Name TagI’ve been interested in politics since I was a little girl.  When I was 10, I was busy trying to convince my mom and dad to vote for my preferred presidential candidate. (I got one of them.)  I was registered to vote months before I turned 18 to make sure I was registered when the big day came. I could not wait to vote. I’m the person who watches both the National Democratic and Republican conventions in presidential election years. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. I love politics!

But in recent years, I have become exceedingly frustrated with the current political climate. We seem to be in an era where politicians, and their constituencies, seem to be more interested in making points than in working together to get something accomplished in Washington. We seem to be stuck in era of do nothing and blame the other side. The politicians may win in this blame game. But do you know who loses? The American people.

[pullquote]Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. -George Bernard Shaw[/pullquote]

In the United States, mid-term elections will occur on November 4, 2014. In a lot of places, early voting has already begun. With the new elections, now is our chance to help make change happen. Our choices can help get Washington moving again.

Take the time to really learn about the candidates running for election. Learn about their personal goals as a political leader for your area. Look for candidates talking about what they plan to do when they are elected. Find out which candidates have a proven record of bipartisanship. (If both candidates are new on the scene, which one is talking bipartisanship.) Don’t choose a candidate simply because they belong to one party or another. Choose a candidate who wants to work with everyone in Washington to get things moving again.

No one party has a lock on good ideas. A lot of politicians would have you believe it, but it is not true. If you really take the time to look at all the candidates, you will find there are good ideas to be found everywhere. Lets find those candidates looking to support good ideas from any party and vote for them. Let’s avoid picking a candidate simply based on party loyalty. No political party deserves that kind of loyalty.

National-Crisis-USA-2906759There are so many problems that our political leaders need to deal with. And so little is being accomplished. Something has to change. The United States cannot function as it needs to if Washington cannot work together to get this country moving. That is why it is so imperative that we as citizens begin making choices that will help break the gridlock that we currently have in Washington.

Everyone talks about change in Washington. On November 4th, we all have the opportunity to help make change happen. Please, don’t vote for the candidate whose party you support simply because they are a member of that party. Please vote for the candidate who wants to work for change in Washington. Join me in choosing candidates who want to work across party lines and help bring change to Washington. This is the only way we are going to get the change we need.