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Can’t Vote or Don’t Vote?

Last week, bored with NPR and between audio books, I had the radio scan for AM talk radio and ended up at KURM-AM, 790. Despite being a Rogers station, longtime host Kermit Womack kept getting calls about today’s Fayetteville school millage election.

It’s not a vote on building a new high school, because that is not mentioned on the ballot. Replacing Fayetteville High School is what officials say it’s about.

On the radio, one ol’ boy came on to say that though he lives in Rogers, he owns property in Fayetteville. It’s “taxation without representation,” he said, because he’d vote “no” if he could but he can’t.

A second ol’ boy called in to say he was in the same predicament, and what’s happened to America.

Kermit handled these calls impressively. He did not challenge their opinions but did not encourage them, either. I wouldn’t have the patience for that so admire those who do.

This representation business has been part of the call-in scene since last summer, the presidential campaigns and now national health reform. It sounds like a cause, unless you think about it. In today’s case, people vote at the precinct where their primary residence lies. When everyone votes just in the city of their main home, it evens out — property tax, sales tax, state reps, lottery referenda — more or less.

The two ol’ boys I heard acted country but were well enough off to own more than one parcel of property.

It might be embarrassing for me or people I know to vote alongside people like that, but a lot will, and for different reasons. Other people I like and respect support the Fayetteville millage proposal. There’s strong feelings, and I haven’t felt so out-of-sorts since McCain-Obama. People today will vote opposite their friends, and that’s uncomfortable. It’s also no excuse. Common sense is at stake.

No one’s going to tolerate whining about today’s election from folks who don’t vote. After today, “did you vote” will be the first question when the talk turns to what should’ve been.

The sport will come in the other questions.

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