By this time, you may have forgotten that in addition to voting for the next President of the United States this Election Day, you will also have the opportunity to vote for representatives from your local area. I know I have personally put a great amount of effort into considering who I would want to be next Prez. With the election just a month away, I find myself still unprepared to go into the booth.

If you live in Monroe County, I highly recommend checking out the Monroe County Board of Election List of Candidates. You will see each position listed and below it the names and parties of those running. If you haven’t heard of any of the names on the list, it may be time to do some heavy-duty Googling. If you don’t know ahead of time you may find yourself just voting with your party — a typical strategy for voters, but not the point of participating in the voting process.

It’s definitely interesting to see how the two major parties dominate nearly every type of election. If you are an independent or libertarian, for example, you may not feel that those running necessarily represent you. Some positions may have just a few candidates represent many parties. For instance, you will notice that Judge Geraci is listed as the candidate for democratic, conservative, and working families parties. Basically, you will have no choice in the category of County Judge because no one ran against him.

Even if the lack of choices frustrates you, it’s still important to vote for your local officials, because if elected they will represent you (regardless of whether you actually voted for them). These officials will be serving you and you should know who they are and how to contact them. I urge you to write to them by email or even call them to have your voice heard.

Still, if you are disappointed by the choices available and find yourself resentful after the outcomes of the elections, why not try to get more involved in your community? If you feel that there is a voice missing from the electoral process, consider trying to run for office. After all, if we want to change we have to do things differently. That means fighting to have different view-points presented by candidates.

Be sure to see the Voting District Maps at the bottom of their home page.