Your Right To Vote

By: Julie Schrei, Director, Political Affairs, Food Marketing Institute

Only 43 percent of the global population enjoys the civil liberties that allow you to cast ballots. That’s something I remember each time I bring my two small boys with me to my polling place.  

If we take a look at history, the right to vote has always been a contentious idea from our beginnings in the 1700s to the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s. Our founding fathers felt it is essential to democracy and it is a right our country has fought to preserve. 

Today, less than 40 percent of voters turnout for mid-term elections and participation is even lower for odd years, primary and local elections. This Tuesday, several states with heated U.S. Senate battles brewing will hold primary elections including Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.  For members operating in those states, or others whose primaries are upcoming, now is a great time to utilize FMI’s Voting Resources website.  

As someone who brings the voice of food retailers to Washington, D.C., Matt Perrin, head of government relations and regulatory affairs at The. Kroger Co., said, “In my work on Capitol Hill engaging Members, working with the best candidates and Members who understand our issues makes all the difference.”

FMI’s Voting Resources website has all the tools you need to learn more about election dates, hours, polling locations, as well as, your elected officials. Voting in elections is essential to make sure your preferred candidate represents you in the Nation’s Capitol. 

Photo Credit: Flickr, Descrier