KEN GRAHAM: FROM THE PUBLISHER

I had an insight recently - which I consider brilliant - and that is that the fewer people who vote, the more influence my vote will have. So I've decided not to encourage other people to vote this year. In fact, I'd rather you didn't. (And ignore what's on the front page. I wrote that earlier.)

When I lived in King County many years ago, my vote for county commissioner was one of more than a million votes cast. I voted, but I never felt like it mattered.

Now that I live in Columbia County, my vote is one of about 2,000 (and much fewer in the primary). And the lower that number is, the better the chance that my vote might make the difference.

Even in Walla Walla County, where there are usually around 20,000 votes cast in a county-wide election, individual voters can still feel like their vote is important in a close contest.

The same is true for the rest of you rural voters, of course. In Waitsburg earlier this year, fewer than 200 votes were cast in the city elections. There were no contested races, of course. But had there been, each vote-caster's vote would have been extremely important.

But forget about all of that. Just think about what a hassle it is: Those envelopes with the little holes in them. What's up with that? It's way too confusing trying to figure out what you're supposed to put in which envelope. And then you have to remember to take it to the post office in time - don't forget the stamp - or in a panic, you have to rush it to the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon.

Instead, why not just forget about it and chuck it all, along with those satellite dish promotions? Let my vote be the one that makes the difference. I promise I'll vote the right way.