Don’t listen to all the lies, noise around this election, Kentucky. Just go vote.

In 2004, the presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry was going to be close. Ohio was a swing state with 20 electoral votes that Bush needed. So, Karl Rove, Bush’s campaign advisor, had the Ohio legislature put the “Definition of Marriage Amendment” on the November ballot in order to drive more Republicans to the polls. The amendment mandated that only a marriage between one man and one woman was valid and it passed by almost 62%. Of course, in 2015 the amendment was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the real goal had been achieved: Bush won the presidency because of Ohio.

Does that sound rather familiar? Like our November’s Kentucky’s Constitutional Amendment 2? “Are you in favor of amending the Constitution of Kentucky by creating a new Section of the Constitution to be numbered Section 26A to state as follows: To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion?”

25 words.

The Kentucky strategy for getting Amendment 2 passed is to have another amendment on the ballot, Amendment 1 with 743 words. The tactic is that the Amendment 1 is so long and convoluted that people are just going gloss over it and vote no, while Amendment 2 with its simple text will have people voting yes.

Amendments like these have nothing to do with rights but are red herrings to drive their voters to the polls. The Republican legislators don’t care if women get abortions or have health care or die from being pregnant – they just want more Republicans elected to office.

Topics like abortions, CRT, charter schools, Second Amendment for gun rights, protect the unborn, fight the nasty liberal agenda and get rid of Biden/Pelosi, all are concocted to get you to vote for a certain way.

This fear mongering has the world being a mess all because of a certain political rival who is going to take away your guns, murder unborn children, teach woke-ism and turn your children into homosexuals. “Elect me and I will save you from Biden, the counterculture and the liberal left extreme.”

The same ads run across the country, with just a different opponent’s name inserted. He/She is too extreme/too liberal for Kentucky (or insert your state here)!

While Republicans are shouting, “Don’t vote for my opponent because he is a communist, she is a socialist,” their voters are cashing their social security, Medicare/Medicaid, stimulus and disaster relief checks.

Facts, common sense, reason, even actual genuine experts have become implausible to believe as people turn to the wacky internet for another and zany source.

Desperate candidates perpetuate racism, anti-Semitism, stereotypes and innuendos along with non-existent voter fraud and conspiracy theories.

Rights are indeed being taken away — not guns rights — but rights to vote along with common sense reproductive and LGBTQ rights.

Our elected officials are not interested in representing the people who vote for them but are only concerned about remaining in office.

Kentucky House representative Damon Thayer said on KET that 90% of his constituents want medical marijuana, but he will vote against because that is his belief. So even though he doesn’t represent his constituents, they will continue to vote him into office. And no one is saying “Huh?”

All of this rhetoric is to keep you confused, frustrated and turn off from voting. But don’t let them silence your voice.

Yes, this November’s ballot has 37 sets of candidates on the front page and 21 sets plus two amendments on the back.

Yes, it is like an overwhelming buffet with lots of unknown dishes.

Here is the key – pick out at least one, or as many as you are comfortable with, and vote. That is it. You don’t have to vote for every single slot. Vote for at least one person and that makes your ballot legal in Kentucky.

Want to know more about a candidate? Then go to their website and see who has endorsed him/her. Do you like those groups or not, then vote.

Your vote is your voice. Use it or lose it.

Mary Lou Marzian, BSN, is currently the Kentucky House representative for District 34. Honi Marleen Goldman is the developer of the former VoteNowKY project and a community activist.