The biggest complainers are frequently the non-voters.

They'll tell you that city hall is in shambles, the county is worse, Albany is corrupt and Washington is satanic. When you ask them whom they voted for, they'll give you answers like, “Oh, I never vote. Haven't for years. What difference does it make?”

Well, actually it makes a big difference.

Here's a quick brush-up for those of us who haven't taken a civics class for a few years: Citizens of any democracy or republic (that's what we are, a republic) not only have the right to vote but the solemn obligation to do so. A representative form of government only works if you have representatives. And the only way to get representatives is to have them selected in a valid, monitored voting process.

All of our freedoms hinge, directly or indirectly, on the voting population going to the polls on election day and picking the candidates of their choice. Without that process, the entire house of cards will fall in on itself.

There are two great internal enemies that seek to destroy democratic freedom: Pathetic citizens (who demonstrate their apathy by not bothering to register and vote) and unopposed candidates (which encourages and feeds on the whole thing like a leech).

History experts tell us that the Roman empire fell because of similar problems - apathy and a collapse of all moral constraints. This resulted in civil disorder and inability to secure their borders. Sound familiar?

It's sad when a much higher percentage of Iraqis showed up to vote in their elections than Americans showed up in ours. And they were fired upon and some were killed while waiting in line to vote.

But it's never to late to turn things around, and the place to start is by getting these people registered. Go to or call the Cayuga County Board of Elections. There are several places they will tell where you can register to vote.

This year is sometimes called an “off year” election because we don't vote for the office of the presidency. But in reality there is no such thing as an “off year” election. Every single election is important. It selects our office holders and maybe even more importantly, it creates and supports our active and vibrant democratic process.

This year we will be voting for U.S. senator, New York state governor and a few key local seats.

And let's not forget about the referendums. We've got two big ones coming up on the school building project. The district's board members are trying to discourage voter turnout by having that election take place in October instead of November. (Now that's a dirty trick if I've ever seen one.)

Voting certainly doesn't solve all of our problems but it is a great place to start because without it, nothing else happens.

I'll end where I began: If we don't vote, we lose the right to complain. And what fun is that?

Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen, and she can be reached at sacredheart6005@

hotmail.com