Op-Ed: Know before you vote

Cullman deserves more than familiar names and empty chairs.

In a time when every vote carries weight, too many are still cast based on little more than a last name, a family friend’s recommendation or a yard sign seen on the drive to work. That might have sufficed decades ago. It no longer does.

We owe it to ourselves — and to our communities — to demand better.

Local elections shape our roads, our taxes, our children’s schools and the integrity of those we elect to serve. Yet far too often, voters walk into the polling place guided by hearsay or habit. That’s not civic duty. That’s autopilot.

It’s not enough to know the name. You need to know the person. What do they stand for? What have they done? How do they respond when pressed — not when rehearsed?

That’s why forums and debates are not interchangeable. Voters deserve to see candidates tested — not catered to.

Let’s be clear: showing up to a debate, where questions are unscripted and answers must be given in real time, is far more important than attending a forum where candidates are handed the questions beforehand. A debate reveals who can think critically, who truly knows their district and who will lead with substance instead of slogans.

To the voters: do your homework. Watch them speak live. Ask questions. Challenge assumptions. If you wouldn’t hire someone based on a résumé alone, don’t vote that way.

To the candidates: if you won’t show up to a public debate and stand beside your opponent to make your case, what message are you sending to the people you want to represent? You want the title — earn the trust.

Cullman deserves leaders who are not afraid of scrutiny. We deserve candidates who believe the public is smart enough to hear both sides and make an informed choice. Dodging debates while posing for campaign photos is not leadership. It’s performance art at its worst.

If a candidate won’t face the public when asking for your vote, don’t expect he or she to face the tough issues after they get it.

Informed voters make strong communities. It’s time we all start voting like Cullman’s future depends on it — because it does.

Noah Galilee

Publisher, The Cullman Tribune