Express yourself: Vote Nov. 4

Close to 1 million Mississippians cast ballots for president in 2000. It was the largest voter turnout in the state's history, according to the secretary of state's office.

But Mississippi has more than 2 million citizens eligible to vote. Where were the other million that day?

Doubtless, some of them are not registered to vote. But the majority simply failed in their duty — and privilege — as a citizen to show up at the polls.

In 2002 Mississippi ranked 39th in voter participation, according to the Maryland-based Center for Voting and Democracy's Web site.

The nation's voter turnout rate in presidential elections declined after a peak of 91 percent of registered voters in 1968, but it appears to be on the rebound. According to a U.S. Department of Commerce report, 86 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2000 presidential election. (The all-time low was 82 percent in 1996.)

A couple of other interesting tidbits from the report:

€ People most likely to go to the polls were older citizens, homeowners, married couples and individuals with more schooling and higher incomes.

€ Among registered voters who didn't vote, one in five reported they were "too busy" to vote.

We can do better. And we'll be rewarded for our effort with a more responsive, more representative government.

Secretary of State Eric Clark, Mississippi's chief elections officer, has expanded voter education programs and led "Promote the Vote," the most comprehensive student voter project in Mississippi history. Since 1996, more than 600,000 Mississippi students have participated in the program, which seeks to raise their awareness and understanding of the democratic process.

The program staged a mock election day Oct. 28 in schools around Mississippi.

We applaud Clark's goal of creating a generation of informed voting adults. We designed the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi's Youth Leadership Program around the same focus.

Whether you are 18 or 80, your responsibility as a voting-eligible, Mississippi citizen is to help determine the course of state government: what actions it should take, as well as its goals and priorities for the future.

Voting is the most effective, most immediate means of shaping our state's present and future.

Let your opinion be known. Vote Nov. 4!

For more information on Mississippi elections and voter registration, check out the secretary of state's Web site at www.sos.state.ms.us.