In the very contentious 2004 presidential elections the national voter turnout was quite extraordinary. Over 71% of the registered voters from across the nation turned out for the Bush-Kerry main event.

"Off years", those lacking in the always-glamorous presidential campaign, are typically quite different. We saw this in last year’s midterm election that was heavily promoted and hotly contested, focusing almost solely on the philosophical impasse of our policing action in Iraq. Even though this issue was and is supposedly the Number One issue of concern for all Americans it did very little to bring them in: National turnout was a paltry 40%.

The turnout for this year, one focusing on local elections, will definitely be a lot worse. It would not be a stretch to guess that less than one-third of all voters will make their voices heard. People have their reasons for not voting and for being a part of the civically-disengaged majority. They say they are too busy to go to the polls or they don’t follow politics or their vote won’t matter or that voting is a waste of their time.

Could they speak, the 4,400 men who died fighting tyranny in the Revolutionary War that gave us our national identity would tell you those excuses are so very petty. Their voices would no doubt be joined by the half-million men who perished in our Civil War or the 116,000 American soldiers who died in the first World War or the 405,000 of the second or the 95,000 of the Korean and Vietnam campaigns or the 3,800 who have so far perished in the Iraq conflict. In total, almost 1.5 million military men and women have died while fighting America’s wars. Countless millions more were injured, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally.

Every one of those men and women gave of life, limb and heart to fight for one or all of three things: the creation of American, America’s well-being and safety, and American principles as a symbol of hope for oppressed people around the world.

For these warriors the American flag was their guiding light. They died or suffered for Everything America. The mores and principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, everything those documents and their founding principles represent - and everything they caused America to be - became the model of service and the higher calling for these men. Our rights to freedom, liberty, property, prosperity and, yes, a representative form of government were maintained and guaranteed by the immeasurable sacrifices of these souls.

Yes, it is just like the common mantra that says these men died for your right to vote.

That is not a baseless, overly-patriotic way of thinking as many naysayers like to believe. It is founded in reality. Many people revel in their ability to live freely, speak freely, earn freely, and spend freely, yet ignore the underlying base to the continuation of the abilities: the act of voting freely…participating in the electoral process and choosing people who will represent them to the best of their abilities.

It is vitally important that our modern approach to citizenship is changed and more people vote in next week’s elections and every election thereafter.

It’s the right thing to do. It’s the American thing to do. And, it’s the very least you can do out of respect for the blood that was shed for you, me and our loved ones.