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October 9, 2008

By Donna Capodelupo

There is a celebrity-driven get-out-the-vote advertisement on TV, the Web and DVD.

In it, folks like Halle Berry, Ellen DeGeneres and Dustin Hoffman urge viewers to stay home on Election Day.

"Don't vote," they implore. "It's not that important."

Of course, by the end, the message turns into, "Don't vote unless you care about the environment and health care and the economy and (insert your favorite cause here)."

They have a point, sort of.

Voting is as much a duty as a right.

We subscribe to the "use it or lose it" theory of democracy. Those who don't exercise their right to vote may one day find themselves without the opportunity.

But with the duty and right to vote comes great responsibility. Each of us, upon entering the election booth, is making a decision about the lives of everyone else in our community, state or nation.

An uninformed voter, therefore, is shirking his or her responsibility to neighbors and fellow citizens.

There are precious days remaining to register to vote in the historic election of 2008. When the city clerk's office closes at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, those who haven't registered won't be able to cast ballots on Nov. 4.

In addition to a new president, Massachusetts voters also are deciding whether to eliminate the state income tax. In today's economic climate, such an opportunity might be tempting, but an educated voter will know that government doesn't run on wishes and air, and if the income tax disappears, another mechanism to raise the requisite money will take its place.

Registering to vote is easy. You must be a citizen of the United States, provide your driver's license ID number, name and address and declare a party. Sign your name, and you're set.

Taking your right, responsibility and duty to vote seriously, that's a little more work but the payoff is tremendous.

So register to vote. Learn about the candidates and the issues. Watch a debate. Ask questions. Then go vote.