In a few short days ballots for the 2024 election will be mailed to all of us. It’s our opportunity to choose the people who will shape the future of our country, our state and region, and our beloved city of Bend.

Growing up in Bend and attending Bend High, I’ve seen firsthand the enormous growth we’ve experienced and the challenges and opportunities that come with rapid change. Now, as your mayor, I work on those challenges every day. On the City Council, we’re tackling the housing crisis, traffic safety, climate impacts, just to name a few issues – and planning for smart, sustainable growth while we do it. We know our residents are also challenged by rising prices at the grocery store, houselessness, addiction, and mental illness.

To manage those issues, your local officials rely heavily on input from the community to guide our decision-making. But the most important way you influence those decisions is through your vote.

I often hear folks say, “well, my one vote doesn’t’ really matter.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2022 our State Representative, Emerson Levy, beat her opponent by only 509 votes in a district that spans from Sisters to Redmond to Bend and includes over 60,000 people. Your vote matters.

Despite a history of close contests across the nation, a Portland State University study found that fewer than 15 percent of eligible voters were turning out to vote for mayors, council members, and other local offices. Skipping those races on your ballot means that important local issues are determined by a limited group of voters. That means your single vote is even more statistically meaningful, and it’s one of the best ways to make your voice heard at the local level.

Our right to vote is not something we should take for granted. It was not until the 15th Amendment was enacted in 1870, almost a hundred years after our country was formed, that Black men were allowed to vote in America. And women were denied the right to vote until 1920, when the long efforts of the women’s suffrage movement resulted in the passage of the 19th Amendment. This quote from Susan B. Anthony makes the point clearly: “Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.”

In Oregon we have the incredible privilege of a safe and secure vote-by-mail system. Your ballot is delivered right to you, and you can drop it off at a drop box or return it in the mail, no postage stamp required. Doing your civic duty and being an informed voter is easy in our state. Across the country, in other states, far too many people must wait in line for hours to exercise their right to vote, and some states have tried to make it illegal to even give these folks water while they wait! Here in Oregon, you can sit down at the kitchen table with your informative state and county Voters’ Pamphlet, read local editorials and endorsements, talk to trusted members of your community, and make an informed decision.

Let’s honor the efforts of those who fought to ensure that we all can participate directly in our democracy and voice our values with our votes. Ballots will be in the mail on October 15th. Make sure you are part of the process that determines the leadership of our nation, our state, and our local community – fill that ballot out completely and be sure to vote by November 5th.

Do you have a point you’d like to make or an issue you feel strongly about? Submit a letter to the editor or a guest column.