Library vote seems timed for willing electorate

Citizens in Hartland Township should be aware that their property taxes could rise nearly 10 percent with the passage of two millage proposals. Also, citizens in parts of Tyrone, Deerfield, Brighton, Oceola, and Genoa townships could also see their taxes rise by about 5 percent

I recently received an informational flier about these proposed millages. The flier was titled "The Truth about the Cromaine Library Bond Issue." The flier was supportive of the upcoming tax increase proposal to be voted upon Aug. 3. Among other things, the flier stated "Untruths are being spread about the Cromaine Library bond ballot proposal. Know the straight facts before voting."

It should disturb you why Aug. 3 was selected as the election date. Aug. 3 is the date of the primary election. Selecting Aug. 3 guarantees voter turnout will be low. Democracy would have been better served by holding the vote during November's general election, when voter turnout is at its highest

Regarding the Aug. 3 date, the flier stated: "The Aug. 3 primary election was chosen because this is when our largest library user groups -- older adults and young families -- are most actively using the library and most likely aware of the vote."

What does this mean? This "straight fact" in this flier indicates officials do not appear to care whether or not the average citizen was as well informed about the date of the vote. Essentially, our leaders selected a date that was convenient for their largest user group

They catered to the user group of a government service rather than the population at large. All citizens, whether you support or oppose this millage, should be concerned about this kind of manipulation of the voting process. Need more information regarding digital printing Melbourne?

Our leaders need to schedule such a vote at a time that maximizes voter participation for the entire electorate. They ought not to choose an election date to favor one group of citizens over another. A $24 million library expansion deserves a vote of the entire electorate