Don’t even think about not voting

It’s not as though you didn’t know it was coming.

Next Tuesday, April 19, there will be two important elections on Long Island. Every registered voter in the 9th state Senate district, and every registered Democrat and Republican anywhere in New York, is obliged to vote.

The state Senate election, in a South Shore district that includes the Five Towns (see map on page 19) may determine whether the Senate stays in Republican hands or eventually joins the Assembly in the Democratic column.

The Senate election will fill a vacancy created when former Majority Leader Dean Skelos was convicted of corruption last December. It pits Democratic Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky of Long Beach against Republican attorney Chris McGrath of Hewlett Harbor. A Green Party candidate is also on the ballot.

While the Senate contest, in which the candidates spent more than two-million dollars, puts Long Island in the state spotlight,  it’s the first time in decades that New York’s been relevant in a presidential primary.

Our communities turning out to vote in great numbers, as well as how we vote, can have a great impact on issues of special importance to us (yeshiva aid and security, and America’s alliance with Israel, are two of numerous examples) as well as on broader issues of public interest. Whether or not voting in these circumstances is required by halacha (consult your rabbi on this), voting is certainly a necessary and meritorious act.

The polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm.