Now that I am getting older, I realize the importance of encouraging people to vote in our society where the winner can be decided by a single vote. It amazes me the power each one of us possesses with the right to vote and how, oftentimes, we fail to vote. Sometimes it is because we do not care about the issues, sometimes we do not care about the office, and sometimes, we simply forget to vote.
Voting in a society such is ours is not only a right and a privilege, but it is also a duty. As such, I would like to remind everyone to vote in the upcoming election for a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice. The primary election is scheduled for October 17, 2009, and it is to fill the District from Morehouse Parish through Rapides Parish and northeast Louisiana.
It is for a 10 year term, and it is a very important election as the Louisiana Supreme Court is the highest state court in Louisiana. The Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. There are 7 justices on the Supreme Court with Katherine Kimble being the chief justice.
The two candidates for the open seat are former executive counsel for Governor Bobby Jindal, Jimmy Faircloth, and Fourth Judicial District Judge, Marcus Clark. Even though this has turned out to be a negative campaign for the Supreme Court seat, I still encourage everyone to vote as this is a very important position and the person seated in that position can affect all of our lives in many different ways with this vote. Therefore, I encourage everyone to make the time to vote on October 17, 2009.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
