Democracy Northwest: Vote!

Have you mailed your ballot yet?  

If you're a procrastinator (like me), you still have plenty of time (measured in hours).  Besides dropping your ballot in the mail, you have until 8 p.m. to drop it in one of the many dropboxes around the region. Click here for Washington, and here for Oregon.

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell (center) running for reelection, stops by Miro Tea in Seattle.

Although some of you jaded citizens don't vote, America's newly recognized citizens who had to apply for citizenship are thrilled and honored to have the  privilege.  And if you think your vote doesn't count, well, in 2004 Washington Governor Chris Gregoire beat Dino Rossi by a mere 129 votes out of several million.

While Pacific Northwest Seasons is generally focused on everyday adventures and life here in the great Northwest, I'm dedicating this post to my late father P. Lee Irwin,  journalist, associate university professor, newspaper publisher, avid Husky football fan, super dad, and engaged citizen who kept politicians on their toes through his award-winning editorials for the former Gresham Outlook , Bothell (and later Northshore) Citizen, and other local papers.

Ples Lee Irwin in Red Square, Moscow, Russia.

As a publisher of numerous community newspapers around the Northwest back when newspapers were a going concern, my father's political endorsements through his editorials held weight with Northwest politicians, from the school board to U.S. Senators.  

He was passionate about exercising our right to vote and instilled that (among many other things) in his children.  As a kid I remember going door to door asking neighbors to please vote to approve our local school levy. (He was especially passionate about funding for education and was one of the key driving forces that led to the founding of Mt. Hood Community College.)

Although I tried to avoid the family stereotype and resisted becoming a journalist, here I am blogging away, feeling compelled to write about things that I'm passionate about.  So I urge you to vote if you haven't already. 

And remember, amid all the nastiness of the negative campaign tactics, read your voter's guide or go to websites that help sort through the issues without all the noise. (Ha, that's the closest I'll come to endorsements.)  Be an informed voter.

Your one vote does count.

And regardless of who wins and what initiatives pass or don't, we're still all fellow Americans in this together.