This summer, celebrate America by voting

If there is ever a summer to vote, it is this one.

Not because the issues are bigger than they have been in past elections. But because this summer, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we are reminded of one of the most remarkable changes in government in world history.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, men and women throughout the American colonies embraced an extraordinary idea: that people should have a voice in their own government.

Many of the leaders of the American Revolution were not poor or desperate. Some were wealthy merchants, lawyers and landowners with comfortable lives and a great deal to lose. What they believed they lacked was something fundamental: representation and voice.

“No taxation without representation” was about more than taxes. They wanted a say in who represented them, how they were governed and how their tax dollars were spent. In today’s language, they wanted local control.

That idea should resonate particularly strongly here in Wyoming. We value independence. We value local control. And we believe the people closest to their communities should have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Those principles have deep roots in the ideas Americans fought for 250 years ago.

But even after the Revolutionary War, America still had more work to do. The promise of representative government did not extend to everyone. Women, Native Americans and enslaved people had no voice at the ballot box.

Over the generations that followed, Americans worked, marched, fought and sacrificed to expand that promise. The right to vote was gradually extended to millions of Americans who had once been excluded.

America has accomplished remarkable things in 250 years, and we still have more work to do. That is part of the American experiment. Every generation inherits both the freedoms won by those who came before us and the responsibility to preserve and improve them.

So this summer, as we celebrate with flags, fireworks, parades, rodeos and community gatherings, remember what we are really celebrating: We are celebrating a nation built on the radical idea that ordinary citizens should have a voice in their government.

Learn about the candidates. Think about the issues. Make your own decision. Then vote.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, Americans risked their lives, their fortunes and their futures for the right to have a voice.

Honor them, and all those who later fought to extend those voting rights, by using yours.