Editorial: This election matters

Anyone who paid attention to the 2020 presidential elections can tell you that more people voted in that race than have ever voted before.

Nationwide there were more than 158 million ballots cast. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 9 million people were registered and 76.5% showed up at the polls or dropped their votes in the mail.

Look at the turnout numbers and you might think that Americans vote every four years instead of annually. People barely pay attention to what happens in the years between. The midterms get some attention because of the congressional races and gubernatorial runs but nowhere near the interest of the presidential election.

Why? Why do we care that much about electing one person every four years instead of all the people on the ballot in the off years?

It is likely because we look at the title and fall for the hype. “Commander in chief” seems like it is the most important job in the country. It’s not. It’s just the one in the spotlight.

There is no reason for a voter in the Keystone State to care more about casting a ballot for the guy who gets to move into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. than the Westmoreland County district attorney race or picking an Allegheny County council member.

Every voter who makes a choice for that one top job should care just as much — perhaps even more — about the district judges who set bail in their backyards, the school board members deciding on a math curriculum for their kids, the township supervisors approving building projects that could hire their neighbors.

It isn’t that the presidency isn’t a big deal. It’s that every job on every ballot every year is more important than people realize.

And yet, if the general election holds true to the primary, only about a third of those who voted last year will make their voices heard.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you are registered, make the effort, make a decision and make a difference.