Everyone wants free and fair elections. They also want the elected candidate to represent a majority of the people. As the voting population goes up, the likelihood that elected candidates will represent a majority goes up. The opposite is also true: As the voting population goes down, a representative government is more challenging to achieve.

The coronavirus has caused many to be more diligent than in past elections. News Center Maine reported that “pandemic fears were a big reason roughly 80 percent of Mainers voted absentee in the primaries, and Secretary of State Matt Dunlap anticipates the same thing will happen in the November election.”

The Postal Service cannot deliver a regular flow of mail on time right now, and a dramatic increase in mail for this election could mean many absentee ballots may not be delivered in time to be counted. For that reason, Secretary of State Dunlap recommends sending your ballot 10 days to two weeks before the election to ensure it will arrive in time for your vote to be counted.

Delivering your ballot to your town or city clerk or town office is a more reliable way to ensure your vote is counted. Some prefer to vote in person on Election Day, and that’s OK, too. Just remember that wearing a mask and practicing social distancing when delivering your ballot or voting in person will minimize your coronavirus risk. The most important thing is to make your voice heard through your vote.

I encourage everyone to vote, regardless of party. Gaining the right to vote was a hard fight that continues today, yet some people don’t vote. Some excuses are – believing your vote doesn’t matter, or the person who should be elected is not on the ballot.

For 10 years I have helped get out the vote, no matter what party the voter supports. When encountering a person who was not voting, I usually asked them why. Many people said, “You really want to know why I don’t vote? I’ll tell you.” Most people were well informed about the issues and cared deeply about their community. Many cited a combination of gerrymandering; voter suppression and dark money in politics for concluding voting was an exercise in futility.

I agree that all of the above can make it difficult to face the obstacles and, as the British World War II motivational poster goes, “Keep calm and carry on.” Pulitzer Prize-winning author, poet and social critic James Baldwin wrote, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

I agree, and most of the non-voters I spoke with agreed, too. Did they get out and vote? Who knows. I talked to one person in a wheelchair who was not going to vote. After I used the above quote, and some other encouraging quotes, he decided to vote. Being in a wheelchair presented some problems, but I was working with volunteers who would drive voters to the polls. A phone call later, and this man was on his way to vote.

As for the best candidate not being on the ballot, I love to tell people that elections are not about electing the best candidate for the position. Alarmed, most people ask in dismay, “What are elections for, then?” My retort is always, “Elections are about electing the best person running – big difference.” If you decide not to vote because your favorite candidate is not on the ballot, you have also decided to help elect the candidate you like the least.

No matter how challenging this election is for you, vote, either in person or absentee, and let your voice be heard. As I said above, as the number of people who vote goes up, the likelihood the elected candidate will represent a majority of voters goes up, too.

Let this election be an opportunity for you to have a voice in America’s future.