Poll: Do You Vote?

Voter turnout isn't 100 percent, unfortunately. So, some of you aren't voting.

During the last set of municipal elections on Nov. 3, 2009, less than 40 percent of voters went to the polls in Berkley and Huntington Woods – which is better turnout than in many communities, even though it represents a minority of the voting public.

In Berkley, turnout was approximately 37 percent, according to Clerk Cheryl Printz; in Huntington Woods, nearly 39 percent of voters turned out, Clerk Joy Solanskey said.

So, what gives?

"I think a lot of people don't vote because they don't know the issues and they don't know the candidates," Judge James Wittenberg told Berkley Patch recently. "It's not that they're against voting.

"You're going to hear, 'I don't have time. I have to work. I'll be out of town,' " he said, adding that voters had the option to vote by absentee ballot.

Wittenberg – who said he takes his children with him to the polls to teach them the importance of casting a ballot – urged voters to participate Tuesday.

Smaller elections such as those for , or often have a bigger impact on people's day-to-day lives than larger elections such as those for president, he said.

"You talk about, 'your vote might not matter' – in these local elections, it sometimes comes down to 10 or 15 votes," Wittenberg said. "Your vote will count for the school board (the only contested race Tuesday in Berkley and Huntington Woods).

"It absolutely counts," he said.

Here are a few points to ponder:

For you nonvoters out there: Why don't you vote?

And ...

If I'm one of those nonvoters, what would you tell me to get me to vote? Why should I vote?

Leave a comment below to weigh in on the conversation.

If you're not registered to vote, you can get the information to do so here. For complete coverage of the elections Tuesday in Berkley and Huntington Woods, click here.