I really don’t think there should be a question mark in that title. Whether it be our national, state, county, or city elections it should not be a question. I feel it is a right, a privilege and a duty. I’d like to take that a step further and talk about organizations. Churches, schools, civic groups, businesses, and other entities also have elections. But today I want to talk about our genealogical organizations.
Let’s say you receive a ballot for your genealogical society’s elections in the mail. It might require finding a pen and then a stamp to return it. You read it quickly, form some opinions, but set it aside to take care of later. Three months later you find it under a stack of paper on your kitchen counter or desk. The deadline has passed. The society’s newsletter announces the election results. Doggone it, that candidate you were planning on NOT voting for is a winner. You worked on a committee with that person and know they did not follow through, missed too many meetings, etc. What if that person beat their opponent by just one vote? Your vote
does count. You missed the boat on this one big time. Being elected to a post in our genealogical societies is an honor but more importantly it is a job. Being a member of the organization means we have jobs, too. One of those is voting. Don’t ignore it.
Maybe your society has gone to electronic voting. That make the job of voting even easier. Take part in the voting right away whether it be by mail, email, or visiting a secure website. We need to make sure that our organizations have competent individuals in the various jobs.
You? Are you a member of one or more genealogical organizations? One where you live for the camaraderie, support, and education. The other members likely have as many various ancestral locations as you do. Join one or more groups in your ancestral localities in the U.S. and in other countries.Don’t stop with just paying your membership dues, get involved and at some point, be active on committees, and later run for the board or an officer position. We all need to do our part. I served on the Board of the Minnesota Genealogical Society for six years, was an officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Have you taken your turn yet?
Don’t forget to go to your local polling location in the United States on Tuesday, November 2d to elect people to serve you at the local, state, and national levels. See you there!
© 2010 – 2014, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.
