Vote today

Last week, an election was held in Afghanistan to seat a new president. Millions of Afghans voted, many of them traveling miles and miles on foot or on the backs of donkeys to cast their ballots.

At least 26 people died in violence tied to Taliban forces that have a vested interest in the outcome of the election.

A winner will not be announced for several weeks, as the election commission needs that much time to identify and disqualify fraudulent voting so the election will reflect a true representation of the people’s will.

Today, there is an election in Dothan. It’s unlikely that anyone will walk a considerable distance to the polls, let alone ride a donkey.

In fact, many voters won’t bother to go at all.

Even under the best circumstances, no more than 6 in 10 registered voters cast ballots. Elections that lack contentious campaigning draw even fewer voters. Runoffs like today’s election interest even fewer voters.

That’s more than shameful. It’s disgraceful.

Today, District 1 voters will determine who will represent their views on the Dothan City Commission. All city voters will determine the school board chairman for the next four years.

It’s unlikely anyone will be killed for casting a ballot today. After all, this isn’t Afghanistan, and these are not life-and-death questions.

But they are important, and deserve your participation — not just because of the issues at hand, but because the freedom to vote is a hard-won American privilege.