Though most people have an ambivalence or even an outright disdain for politics, it is a crucial part of our society.
The bills that are passed and pursued by the representatives we elect have lasting impacts on our society. Whether it be bills on the environment, on water, on civil rights and liberties or on the economy, politics is essential.
With this in mind, everyone should have at least the slightest desire to participate in voting and make use of their rights for civic engagement. No matter your party or political views, you should express what you desire by casting a ballot and voting for representatives, propositions and measures that will directly have an impact on the life you lead.
When making considerations for representatives, however, I would caution voters to not align themselves so readily to the status quo or incumbent candidates. By allowing a candidate to represent the Valley election cycle after election cycle, we endorse a level of comfort that allows representatives to ignore their constituents.
There are representatives within the Valley who have not held a town hall in over a decade, who rarely visit the Valley and who ignore phone calls, emails and letters from concerned citizens who are attempting to make changes to their communities.
These types of officials are not the ones we should be allowing to continue representing the Valley because they are not adequately representing us. No matter party preference, representatives should make themselves available to their constituents in order to ensure that they are held accountable and informed about what issues constituents find most pertinent.
What kind of message does it send about the importance of Fresno when our own representatives do not take the time to visit us? If we want to be taken seriously as a city, valley and community by the rest of California and the nation, we need to elect representatives who demonstrate Fresno and Valley pride.
Though we have representatives holding prestigious seats on congressional boards relating to Valley priorities, those representatives may not be adequately expressing what the Valley needs because they have not gone out of their way to interact with constituents.
When voting in the coming elections, keep in mind the priorities and values you want to uphold as a voter. Use your ability to demand adequate representation by upsetting those congressional seats that house people who have proven to be purposefully ignorant and displaced from Valley life and Valley issues.