Next week’s midterm election will present Missourians with candidates, state amendments and local issues. Voters have questions, and the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library wants to give them answers at “Voting 101: Know Your Ballot” hosted by Mitch Davis. The seminar is 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ridgel Branch.
Voting 101 will be an overview of current issues on the ballot, explained without bias so people can vote based on their personal beliefs. Davis, who teaches government at Three Rivers College, was inspired to host the seminar after hearing the same questions from friends every election year.
“I would always get these questions about a week or two weeks before the election, where people are like, what am I voting on? Tell me what I need to know,” he said.
This election, he believes one of the most confusing issues for voters is the resolution HJR 79, which would require initiative petitions gather more votes before being put on the ballot. Instead of winning with a simple majority, initiatives would need two-thirds of the vote.
“You’re dealing with a lot of percentages and it affects so many congressional districts... So that definitely confuses people a lot,” Davis said, noting there are arguments for and against the resolution.
Voting 101 will also outline the importance of voting in all elections, not just presidential ones.
“Congress is a huge player in our system of checks and balances, they initiate the policymaking process,” he said. “One of the things I want to go over is helping people understand our system of federalism: (the) sharing of power between different levels of government, what that means to them in terms of their actual day-to-day life, and then what’s the significance of this office that you’re voting on.”
Davis said government has been his lifelong passion. He started government club at Poplar Bluff High School as a student which led to a position on staff with former Sen. Rob Mayor. He went on to teach government full time at PBHS before going into consulting and lobbying, and finally teaching part-time at TRC.
He went on to say he has a passion for helping people understand their rights and choices. “Voting 101” will be presented “in a nonpartisan, non-biased way” so listeners can learn what they need and make their own judgments.
“I always said this to my students: I don’t care what you think, I just care that you think, and that you have a view and you vote in a way that’s going to further your beliefs,” Davis said.
The seminar will be livestreamed on the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library’s Facebook page. Links to the resources Davis discusses will also be provided.
The Ridgel Branch is located at 3398 Kanell Blvd., Poplar Bluff. More information is available by visiting poplarbluff.org or calling the library at 573-686-8639.
Posting a comment requires free registration:
Menu
