Elections Matter. That's simple enough. Most people seem to understand it. Most people get that there is a presidential election every 4 years. Some people get that there are "alternate" year elections on the even year between presidential elections when all House representatives have to run for office (as well as during the presidential election year - those terms are 2 years after all).

What most people don't seem to understand is that there is at least one election every year, sometimes more. They often get ignored because they're "only" for some small local office, like city government, or maybe a state House representative or something. Why bother taking the time for that?

The reason to bother is in the news every night. Many states have ramrodded anti-abortion restrictions that would make the Taliban proud. They've crushed unions, imposed voter ID laws, ignored climate change studies, passed "shoot-first-ask-questions-later" gun laws (with noble-sounding names like "Stand Your Ground"), and taken away a chance at Medicaid insurance for poor residents of their states for the sole reason that it's part of "Obamacare".

My state (Virginia) has an election this year - it's probably one of the more well-known in liberal circles because Rachel Maddow has been talking about it a lot. After the Republicans took over a few years ago, they passed a "trans-vaginal" ultrasound requirement for a woman seeking abortion. The current candidate would go further, attempting to outlaw them (Constitution be damned). He's also still the state Attorney General, fighting to protect a voter roll purge that benefits him. THAT'S the kind of crooked that needs to be kept out of state governments.

President Obama was in our back yard (figuratively - don't get excited now) campaigning for Terry McAullife, the Democratic candidate for VA governor. I'm not exactly thrilled by him, but he would put the brakes on the anti-woman trend the state the lawmakers have taken, and the state may actually finally get on the Medicaid plan that would help so many poor folks get the medical care they need. The key is turnout:

And that really is the crux of it. We complain that nothing gets done in the U.S. Congress. That would be preferable to the gross assaults on personal liberty and rights that have been occurring at the state level. The occupants of these critically important local and state government seats are getting selected by a tiny percentage of the voters in those areas. This is exactly the opposite of the way it should be - turnout percentage should be inversely proportional to the size of the people affected. Okay - everybody should always vote in every election, but we know THAT'S a pipe dream.

Nonetheless - you still have a day to find out what election is occurring in your area. This is one place to start, but really - you should know how to contact your local voter registration office to inquire. All elections matter, but the smaller local ones REALLY matter - do NOT miss your chance to choose the government you want where it really makes a difference.