<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT"%> ROCKCRAWLER.com - Yeah, but off-roaders don't vote

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“Yeah, but off-roaders don’t vote!”

“Yeah, but off-roaders don’t vote!”

That's how the mayor of one Southern California city explained why he was opposed to an off-highway vehicle (OHV) park in or near his town in spite of the fact that he knows there are a lot of off-roaders living there.

Let’s prove him wrong in this year’s election! We are convinced that if off-roaders went to the polls they would tend to vote for those candidates favorable to OHV recreation. Some close elections are expected this year, including those for U.S. President and California State Senator. The OHV vote could make a difference!

“But over 100 million people are expected to vote in November. Will my vote make a difference?”

You bet! The outcome of many elections has been decided by just a few votes. If Richard Nixon had gained one more vote per precinct in Illinois in 1960 he would have defeated John Kennedy. In 1948 Lyndon B. Johnson became a U.S. Senator by one vote. And in the 2000 U.S. Presidential election George Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes and therefore the election by 547 out of some 6 million votes counted.

In order to be eligible to vote, of course, you must have registered to vote prior to the deadline. The deadline to register to vote in the November 2 election is October 18, 2004. You are eligible to register to vote if you will be at least 18 years old as of the day of the election. You are required to re-register if you move, change your name or change your political party affiliation. Voter registration forms may be obtained by filling out a form online at www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm. Registration forms are also available at many U.S. Post Offices, DMV offices and public libraries.

Let’s show politicians everywhere that the OHV community cares about our country, our state and our sport. Let’s turn out in record numbers to elect those candidates who agree that the public has the right to enjoy access to public lands, and to defeat those candidates that would take our sport away from our families and us. Remember,

If you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain about the outcome!

By: Jim McGarvie

 

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