Opinion: Voting is a civic sacrament deserving our participation

On Dec. 2, one-fifth of city residents will choose our next mayor. The ballot may not contain your preferred candidate, or even your preferred view of government. Nonetheless, participation is the only way to preserve our democracy.

Any resident, starting at age 18, who is a citizen and not serving time for a felony is eligible to vote. This was not always the case. The U.S. Constitution gave power to the states to determine who could or could not vote. In practice, this meant that only men who owned property had the vote. Women and Black people need not apply, and Native Americans were not citizens. By the 1820s, reforms opened the voter rolls to more men, and some states allowed people of color to vote. Still, no women.