Editorial: Please vote

The attitude that it’s best to sit out a whole election when you don’t like two of the choices is harmful.

In 24 hours, the nation’s voters will head to the polls to select a new U.S. president in an election that is already historic based on the low favorability ratings of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Never before has there been such dislike and distrust for the two major party candidates.

There’s a notion among some that the best way to address this dissatisfaction with the choices is to protest by not voting at all. Many argue that, because of the Electoral College, individual votes don’t matter, particularly in a majority of states, including Kansas, where one party has such an overwhelming advantage that the presidential election outcome and the resulting Electoral College votes for the state are essentially predetermined.

But such thinking is shortsighted and misses the fundamental influence that election outcomes can have on candidates and policies. It’s not only who wins that matters, but also vote totals and percentages. Elected officials — the smart ones, anyway — pay attention to election results and adjust to reflect the will of their constituencies.

Besides, there is more to Tuesday’s election than Trump and Clinton. In Douglas County, voters will have a hand in helping select a U.S. senator, U.S. representative, three state senators, three state representatives, two county commissioners and a state board of education member. Several individuals are running unopposed for county offices: treasurer, clerk, register of deeds, sheriff and district attorney.

Five Kansas Supreme Court justices face retention elections amid a well-funded political campaign to oust them. In a previous editorial, the Journal-World endorsed the work of all five justices and supported retaining all of them.

Finally, there is an effort to amend the Kansas Constitution to protect hunting and fishing. In a previous editorial, the Journal-World opposed the amendment as unnecessary.

Contrary to the “my vote doesn’t matter” philosophy, the ballot box is the great equalizer in a democracy. It is the opportunity to not only choose but also to influence the people representing us in Douglas County, Topeka and Washington.

Votes do matter. Cast yours Tuesday if you haven’t already.