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Vote! Vote! Vote!

Have you heard there is a big election this year? I’m sure you have! COVID-19 has touched every aspect of our lives in 2020, including the way many people are approaching the polls. I think the silver lining about this election year is that we are planning and preparing more than we have before. As we plan the way we cast our votes we should also research the important issues presented on this ballot.

On the forefront of our minds are the ever-present topics associated with the global pandemic, ensuing economic crises, and the several high-profile racial incidents.

Not taking away any weight from these important topics, I wanted to highlight the importance of researching the impacts this election has on our Great Lake – Lake Erie. A co-worker sent around a very useful toolkit that highlights the 2020 Election Season & The Great Lakes. I found it very informative and think that everyone in Cuyahoga County heading to the polls this year should read it.

Lake Erie has come a long way. The once “dying” Great Lake has made leaps and bounds in progress to becoming cleaner and healthier. This would not be possible without the support of elected officials on the federal, state, and local level. Every elected seat, no matter the size, matters.

As residents of the Lake Erie watershed asking the right questions will highlight the important issues, raise awareness, and can hold elected officials accountable once in office. In the above referenced toolkit, The Alliance for the Great Lakes developed a list of questions to ask candidates for elected office:

  • What is your number one Great Lakes policy priority?
  • What policies will you put in place to ensure Great Lakes communities have safe, clean, and affordable drinking water?
  • If elected, what would you do in your first 100 days in office to protect the Great Lakes for people who live, work and play in the region and depend on them for drinking water?
  • What will you do to increase much-needed funding for the Great Lakes region’s failing drinking and wastewater infrastructure and ensure that no one loses access to water and sewer services because of an inability to pay?
  • How will you ensure that businesses, from industrial facilities to industrial agricultural, are held accountable for pollution flowing into our waterways?

The Alliance for the Great Lakes; Top 5 Ways you can get involved:

  • Vote – are you registered?
  • Learn about the elected offices on the ballot
  • Attend a (virtual) candidate forum
  • Speak out on social media
  • Get out the vote

Whether you are mailing in your ballot, voting early, or headed to the polls on November 3rd - happy and safe voting to all!

Blog Author: Megan Smith, Stormwater Specialist

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