VOTING: Local level matters

The people we elect shape the direction of our country. That’s where issues like censorship, limits on free speech and the loss of personal freedoms can begin. Our elected officials represent us and their decisions influence which ideas are protected, challenged or even silenced.

A lot of these changes start at the local level and sometimes they come from people in positions of power who justify their actions based on religion particularly Christianity. You may not agree with this but it is our new reality.

An example is that many of the books we read in high school encouraged open discussion, challenged different viewpoints and taught us to think critically. Those books helped broaden our understanding of the world and prepared many of us for adulthood and are now on banned book lists.

When you vote, think carefully about which candidates support the fundamental rights the Founding Fathers intended to protect, and which policies candidates stand for that could slowly erode those freedoms over time.

CARLY TAYLOR

Coeur d’Alene