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It’s not to late to make your vote count

It’s as easy as signing your name, yet so few of us do it.

Vote.

Every election year, a minority of our population elects our representatives. The reasons for such low voter turnout vary from disinterest to disenchantment. But such excuses undermine the credibility of our democracy.

Monday is the deadline for Texas residents to register to vote. If you aren’t registered, you should pick up an application today.

Texas voter registration cards are available at a table near the Information Desk in the Student Center. Applications are also available at public libraries, post offices, city halls and sub-courthouses.

They are easy to pick up, and even easier to fill out.

If you mail the application by Monday, it’s not too late to vote come November. If you are a resident of Tarrant County, you can mail the application to P.O. Box 961011, Fort Worth, Texas 76161. If you have any questions, call (817) 884-1115 or visit (www.sos.state.tx.us).

There’s no good reason not to vote this year.

The federal government is once again facing bloated deficits. Some estimates project more than $150 billion worth of red ink.

The congress is likely to decide next session whether to make permanent — or repeal — the Bush tax cut. The importance of that vote cannot be exaggerated; it will greatly affect our country’s fiscal policy for the next generation.

And of course, our country is on the brink of war. Lives, literally, are at stake.

Voting is not laborious and involves nothing more than mailing an absentee ballot or driving down to your precinct’s voting booth.

But first, you have to register.