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Voter Interest Disappointing
Posted
3-27-2000
Here we are less than two weeks from Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania
and I hope the interest level increases dramatically. It just seems here in
central Westmoreland County with no contested primaries except the US
Senate, people aren't paying attention to the election. I've been up in the
northern part of the county, where there is a three-way race for Terry Van
Horne's state house seat and a race for Pat Stapleton's state senate seat
and there seems to more enthusiasm for the primary. But I'm not sure the
race for Ron Klink's 4th congressional seat is even stirring very much
excitement.
What motivates people to get
out and vote still mystifies me. When involved as a candidate it seems like
everyone is interested in the election. But one's view is skewed when
closely involved in a campaign. I don't know if presidential elections are
the only races that turn out big numbers, or will a US Senate race get
people to vote. Looking at voter turnout it is clear that municipal election
years don't get people out.
The primary elections since
1996 have had turnouts of less than 40% in Westmoreland County. The 1996
presidential election had the highest turnout in recent years (68%), but the
primary of 1998 was an all time low of about 18%. Perhaps it is limited
choices in some primaries but in the 1999 commissioner and judicial races,
there were plenty of choices and the turnout was still only 34%.
1996 Primary 35%
1996 General 68%
1997 Primary 36%
1997 General 53%
1998 Primary 18%
1998 General 47%
1999 Primary 34%
1999 General 35%
What low turnout ultimately
means is that fewer and fewer people are making the choices of who will
govern. The excuse that "it doesn't matter who wins, and all politicians are
the same" really aggravates me. That is the excuse of the lazy, uniformed
citizen. The excuse of "my vote doesn't count" holds no weight either as
people have lost local races by one or two votes and countywide races by a
few hundred. The democratic primary race for Klink's old seat, with eight
candidates vying for the spot, might be decided by a hundred votes or so.
If you're visiting this site,
I'm probably preaching to the choir about getting out and voting. But make
you family and friends get out and vote too. Voting becomes habitual and if
people start doing it, they'll most likely keep it up. Participation is the
only thing that will make our democracy work. It gives people a sense of
ownership of government rather than the growing sense of detachment that has
occurred in recent years. Government is the people, if we make it happen,
otherwise it becomes some small group of people who feel unaccountable and
their actions will show it. |
