Tuesday’s record turnout represents a refreshing change in thearea of voter interest and participation in elections.

Statewide, an unofficial tally reveals more than 1.2 millionvoted in Tuesday’s election for president, U.S. senator, U.S.congressman, state Supreme Court justices and some local-leveloffices. That is at least 64,500 more than who participated in theprevious record 2004 presidential election.

In Lincoln County, almost 16,500 citizens cast ballots Tuesday.That translates to an approximately 63 percent turnout.

“Maybe this will spark something in people to say, ‘I’m going tovote in every election,'” said Lincoln County Circuit Clerk TerriLynn Watkins, who cited a 15,000-voter turnout in 1995 as theprevious high she could recall. “We need that kind of turnout inevery election.”

The high turnout, no doubt attributable in large part due to Sen.Barack Obama’s historic and ultimately successful campaign tobecome the country’s first black president, could be predictedbefore the election based on new voter registrations.

Statewide, between the first of the year and Oct. 4, almost 195,000people registered to vote to eligible to vote. Of that number,according to elections officials’ totals, about 1,200 were LincolnCountians.

The increases in voter registrations and participation are welcomechanges from the not-so-long-ago days when a 25 percent voterturnout was considered great and even a 50 percent turnout waspractically unheard of. It was tragic that a right that so many inthis country’s history had fought for and died for was so callouslydisregarded.

The task at hand now – in addition to uniting behind our country’snew leader – is to translate voter interest into citizen action.With such a high voter participation, gone should be the days ofcitizens sitting back and complaining.

Record turnout totals should take a sledgehammer to the familiaradmonishment of “Don’t vote; don’t complain.” Complain may be toostrong a word, but the record turnout totals entitle more people tooffer their input on how they should be governed and in whatdirection this country should be headed.

With Obama’s victory, citizens have signaled a desire for change.Continued citizen involvement and interest will demonstrate an evenstronger desire for the democratic concept of government “of thepeople, by the people and for the people.”