Exercise your right in selecting your leaders: Vote
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Food for Thought
Judge of Probate Richard Dean
America will be 250 years old next month. America has grown tremendously in its short 250 years, and we should all be proud to be an American.
Our founding fathers, although not perfect, laid the perfect foundation for our great United States of America with the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and most importantly, the Constitution of the United States. I wish I could attend some of the events that will be occurring in Washington, D.C., on this 250th Anniversary celebration. They are going to be impressive.
One thing that makes America great is our process of selecting our elected governmental representatives. Tuesday was the 2026 Primary Runoff Election. I am not going to repeat the statistics and results Christa covered, but I highly encourage you to take a close look at them. Especially the voter turnout percentage.
People find many things to gripe and complain about in our government. Very often, rightfully so. However, the number of people who participate in one of the most important privileges we, Americans, call a right is abysmal.
In some countries, people have no say in selecting their leaders. Although some of these countries go through a voting process, there is only one party or one candidate on the ballot.
One of those countries, Cuba, is only about 90 miles from our shore. I mention that merely pointing out that the lack of a government elected by the people is right next door. We can see that Cuba is anything but a free, successful, thriving, country and is nothing like America.
People tell me they do not vote in our general elections because the field of candidates from which to choose doesn’t provide particularly good options. All Coosa County 2026 Primary Election ballots had the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator on the ballot. In addition, depending on party preference, there were many state offices and two county offices on the primary ballots.
The number of Coosa County registered voters who cast ballots in the 2026 Primary Election was less than thirty (30) percent. The runoff election obviously had fewer offices on the ballots, but they were important offices.
My point being, if we want to influence the general election, we need to first influence the primary elections that decide who appears on the general election ballots. To see the history of Alabama voter turnout since 1986, go to the secretary of state’s website; click on the Voter Turnout (PDF) under the elections tab.
Coosa County will have a Special Primary on August 11 to select names of candidates to appear on the November General Election ballot for U.S. House of Representatives, District 6. I will be surprised if we get twenty (20) percent voter turnout. I hope I am wrong.
I encourage you to go to the polls in August and November. Go exercise your right in selecting your leaders who will conduct the business (federal, state and county) that affects you and your families. I heard someone years ago say he went to vote because he felt that by voting he earned the right to gripe. I like that. His candidates may not have won, but at least he made the effort to have his say.
Moving on to another topic, although it could be related to voting. Last month, America lost a great man, a great visionary, a great civil rights leader, a great commentator. He was Robert (Bob) L. Woodson, Senior, 89 years old. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him on talk shows and reading his commentaries.
He was a community development leader, not a community organizer. He believed the people who were closest to the problem were the people in the best position to solve their problem.
He worked for over 60 years to build communities by using a community-driven approach based heavily on faith and religious conviction. He did not believe government handouts were the answer to ending poverty. He advocated that the people affected had to play a huge role in bringing themselves and their communities out of poverty, away from crime, and toward success.
He worked tirelessly to help develop low-income and impoverished groups. He guided them to pull themselves up and succeed.
He believed people had to have “skin in the game” to appreciate what was in front of them and their achievements. He didn’t believe in social “crutches.” Right the opposite; he believed social crutches prevented individuals and communities from succeeding.
He believed social crutches destroyed individual, community and ethnic pride. He believed there was a huge difference between an occasional helping hand and a long-term handout.
Bob Woodson spoke about what he believed and wasn’t shy or ashamed of it. He didn’t care what others thought. He knew what worked in moving individuals and communities forward and away from their poverty, crime and self-destructive behaviors. He repeatedly said everyone needed to be more self-reliant and not dependent on the government to solve their problems.
He felt that strong family ties were essential to rising above and getting ahead. He had a philosophy that actions should be based on fact, not ideology and hyperbole. He rejected the philosophy of “victimhood.”
Many times, he spoke of the need for people to rely on high moral values that promoted individual accountability. Bob’s moral values were based on his Christian beliefs and fundamentals. He believed a foundation of Christian values coupled with personal responsibility and hard work were essential to moving individuals and communities toward not only success, but also excellence.
This extract from the Woodson’s Center Website says a lot: “He stood steadfast for the nation’s founding values and virtues, including faith, hard work, personal responsibility, the foundational importance of healthy families and communities, and the ability of everyone to shun a victimhood mentality and become agents of their own uplift.”
During Bob’s 89 years, he saw America grow and evolve. He knew, and constantly spoke of, America’s accomplishments and greatness. Bob was a proud American whom I believe would proudly stand to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary. To see an outstanding article about Bob Woodson, search “The 89-Year-Old Quiet Contrarian: Bob Woodson’s Faith-Fueled Fight for Renewal.”
I think an appropriate ending to this column is a quote from the article mentioned above. Bob said, “As I turn 89, my heart is filled with joy and expectation because I’m witnessing young people now turning away from irresponsible lives and they’re looking more to faith. There’s a moral brush fire that is burning in America, and I am delighted to witness it and pray that it continues to sweep this whole nation and take us back to all of what God wants us to be.”
I believe Robert (Bob) L. Woodson Sr. had a lot in common with, and would have made, a great founding father.
I pray you all have a great July Fourth holiday and enjoy celebrating our great nation’s 250th Anniversary with family and friends. Be safe and pray that God continues to bless our United States of America.
