This past Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day. In that spirit, we wanted to share this special note from our Board President and long-time public servant, Michael Burris, on the importance of our SCI Community voting this year. 

In March of 2018 I attended the Broadway show “Hamilton”, and it has since become my favorite musical. The third song of the show is “My Shot.” The song occurs shortly after Hamilton first meets Lafayette, Mulligan, and Laurens. The first line of the song is, “I am not throwing away my shot!” The gist of the song is that when an opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it.

On November 3, 2020 you have the opportunity to exercise your most sacred duty of being a United States citizen, the privilege to vote in your local, state, and national elections. Those of us with spinal cord injuries know that it can be a hassle getting to our polling precinct, waiting in line, and finally casting our vote.

One of the first steps in being an advocate for finding a cure for paralysis is to elect officials that will listen to our concerns, obtain research funding, and enact legislation to improve our quality of life and work with us to find a cure.

If you do not want to hassle with voting in-person, please consider applying for and voting either absentee or via mail-in ballots. Your state may have specific criteria on how to do absentee voting so start the process NOW and ensure your ballot is returned as soon as it is completed. You need to vote so that your voice is heard.

I have taken the Oath of Office four times in my life; first as a United States Air Force officer, and then the three times I was elected to my local Board of Education. It is a very humbling experience to swear that “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

With that in mind I am imploring you please “do not throw away your shot” and vote for the candidates of your choice this November.