Election over, and the real work begins

Congratulations to all those people who voted Tuesday, especially to the young first-time voters.

Exercising your right to vote is both patriotic and a major component of good citizenship.

But your job is far from over. Now comes the hard part. Now you must all stay engaged in the process by remaining informed and by remaining in contact with your elected officials, and not just those at the top of the ticket.

You must become more involved with your local town officials, mayors, county commissioners and state legislators.

After all, they affect your lives much more than the president or congresspersons. You must let them know that you are watching and expecting them to do their jobs and won't tolerate incompetence or malfeasance.

They must know that you're watching, so that they'll need to earn their positions, or that you'll find someone else come the next election.

Only in that way will both parties put forth better candidates to vote for, and therefore improve our government. Citizenship and patriotism is a 365-day-a-year job.

And if this election has taught nothing else, it's that the people truly have the power to affect who serves us. And that there are plenty of people ready to serve honorably if given the chance.

Ken Glassman

Arlington Heights