If credit unions don’t vote, credit unions don’t count!

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In 1998, 44 percent of voters were credit union members.
If you love the savings and service your credit union provides, vote each Election Day!
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On Nov. 7, 2000, people across the country went to the polls to elect a new President, and to vote for Congressional candidates. The results of that election will affect our country for years to come. While voting is important in any election, whether it be municipal, state or national, the election on November 7 will mark an important step in the future of our country.

Credit union members vote. Past elections have revealed that members of credit unions tend to vote in higher percentages than the public at large. This is an important statistic, and one that has not escaped the attention of our elected leaders. Whether you vote Republican, Democrat or Independent is not nearly as important as the fact that you go to the polls and make your voice heard.

During the November 7 election, both major party candidates for President spoke directly to credit unions and their members. Then-Vice President Gore and then-Governor Bush both stated in separate letters addressed to the credit union movement that they understood the special role of credit unions; and that they are both committed to maintaining the tax-exempt status of credit unions. In a close race, which was marked by so much disagreement on other issues, it should be especially pleasing to know that protection of credit unions represented one of the few sources of agreement.

We would like to share with you two opinion pieces written by members of our own Congressional delegation regarding the importance of voting. Congressman Bob Riley and Congressman Bud Cramer have each written messages to credit union members outlining their feelings on the importance of the upcoming election (Note: These were written prior to the November 7 election). CU-VOTE, a credit union consumer advocacy council, shares these with us. Please take a moment to read these messages. More importantly, always take the time to go to the polls and vote.

CU-VOTE — A Credit Union Consumer Advocacy Council, is dedicated to providing ongoing support of the credit union movement and its members through public awareness and political education efforts. For more information, visit www.cuvote.org

Voting: Democracy’s Backbone
By Rep. Bud Cramer

November 7, 2000 — the first election of the 21st century is quickly approaching and as we look to the emerging challenges of our new technological economy, our children’s education and our imperiled health care system — the time to vote is now.

Voting is a right — a hard-earned right that is often taken for granted. On Sept. 17, 1787, our forefathers gathered to sign the document they had created outlining the framework of our government. The separate branches of government defined in the U.S. Constitution, the executive, judicial and legislative, each have the ability and duty to act and react to the others’ actions. Within the legislative branch, the one I serve in, the House of Representatives and the Senate have mechanisms to check each other and we must often compromise between versions of legislation. The "checks and balances" system established by our forefathers builds in accountability to those that govern the country.

In a larger context, voting is a check and balance for all government. If you are dissatisfied with your current representation, voting empowers you to act, to make your voice heard. You are the checks and balances for your elected officials. You provide the accountability and the impetus for change.

In this democracy we have enjoyed for nearly 225 years, voting is an opportunity for people to be involved in the daily decisions that affect our lives. In fact, the definition of democracy is "a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in and exercised by the people." A common cliche says, "Use it or lose it!" I think there is a glimmer of truth in this statement.

Voter turnout has experienced a 40-year decline and I personally think that inaction is not an option. I suggest that real action on campaign finance reform would be a step in the right direction to building more trust between the system and potential voters.

Democracy is a non-partisan issue. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Green Partiers alike believe in democracy. Voting puts the backbone in our democracy — it gives it strength and support. November 7 is approaching rapidly and I encourage you to take time to exercise your hard-earned right to vote and make your voice heard.

Please, Vote This November
By U. S. Rep. Bob Riley

This November, every registered American will have the opportunity to cast their vote in one of the most important elections in recent history. Control of all three branches of government — the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court — will all be decided within a few hours’ time. These stakes are seldom seen all at once.

We have so many things happening during the next few weeks that could distract us from this election, distract us from our decision, our responsibility. High school football. College football. The NFL. The Olympics. The World Series, and not to mention the regular ups and downs of life in general. Our weeks usually throw so much our way that it’s hard sometimes to follow the election and get to the meat-and-potatoes of a candidate’s platform. Do you agree with Gov. Bush, or do you agree with Vice President Gore? It’s sometimes a difficult yet profoundly necessary question to ask ourselves, and for the sake of our children, I hope we answer correctly.

The numbers are so close that this election could give one ideology — conservative or liberal — total control over all three branches of government in a single day. The balance of power in both chambers of Congress rests upon a handful of races. The Supreme Court and the White House will be decided by the same vote, because not only will the next president direct national policy, he will appoint a third of the Supreme Court. The Justices who will take the bench during the next four years could be determining policy when my five-year-old granddaughter is married and raising a family. That’s permanent change, my friends, and that’s why this election cannot be taken lightly.

Cases decided the fate of our families have been won or lost by very slim margins in the past decade, usually a 5-4 decision. One man, the next president, could change that equation for years to come. It’s simple ideological association: a liberal president will, for certain, nominate liberal activist judges to the Supreme Court who’ll loosely interpret the Constitution. A conservative president will nominate conservative, Constitutionally minded judges. Once Justice, they can hold their seat until death. Decades, possibly centuries of public law will be influenced by their opinions. Choose, but choose wisely.

Noted writer Samuel Johnson reminded us that “the future is purchased by the present.” He was right. The freedom we enjoy today was bought with the blood of our forefathers. The price for a prosperous nation — so often paid in blood — is for us simply the will to follow the issues, the judgment to pick a candidate, and the sense of duty to cast a vote.

Many years from now, Nov. 7, 2000, may not be as significant as some other red-letter dates in American history — Dec. 7, 1941, or July 4, 1776 — but it’s still as critically important. No matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, if you stay home and fail to vote, your country won’t become what you wish it to. For conservatives, like me, it could become known as the day the levy broke. For the other side, it could become known as the last day for liberalism. None-the-less, those few hours in November will affect so many more days, so many more years, so many more generations of Americans. So please, register and vote. Seldom in the course of electoral history will your opinion have such a monumental impact on our nation’s future.