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Where Were the Voters?
Posted
11-15-2001
Well, the election is over, and if one thing is crystal clear, the
surge of patriotic flag-waving surely didn't translate into an increase in
voter participation in Pennsylvania. The statewide turnout was 21% for an
election that was essentially putting seven people on Pennsylvania's
Appellate Courts for the rest of their working lives. In our county, it
wasn't much better; the turnout was 27%.
I just don't know what to
make of voter disinterest. Last November people waited in line to vote for
President, US Senator, Congressional, and other legislative offices. Those
are all important offices, but so were the races on this year's ballot.
Particularly important are the Appellate Courts because they are the
interpreters of the laws passed by the legislative branch of government.
Also, judges are elected for many more years than legislators or the
President. Perhaps people forget about the important role each branch of
government plays in making our system work.
In light of the events of
September 11th, there was a hope that people would carry out their patriotic
stirrings in the form of voter participation. What single action can we as
individuals do that is more participatory in our democracy? But for some
reason, a lot of people must not see the correlation between being patriotic
and being a participant in making our democracy function. As it turned out
in Pennsylvania only one-half of the people are registered to vote. If only
20% of eligible voters participate, that means only 10% of the population is
participating. If the election is decided by a few percent, as these recent
statewide races were, then we are talking about just over 5% of the voting
age public in Pennsylvania deciding who sits on our Appellate Courts. That
phenomenon can hardly be described as healthy for our democratic process.
If you read this article and
have one excuse for not voting, I'd love to hear it. Was it too cold, too
sunny, you were too busy? Were you making a statement by not voting? No one
is listening. I can tell you one thing for certain. Public officials play to
their audience. If you aren't a voter what you think is of little
consequence because you can't change the system unless you participate. If
you are a young person and you think public officials can't relate to your
issues, it is probably because they aren't spending too much time courting
your vote. Young people just don't get it. They can make a difference. But
unless they start turning out in big numbers, like senior citizens
consistently do, they aren't going to get much attention.
When I turned 18, I couldn't
wait to vote. I had stomached Nixon and the Watergate years, and I couldn't
wait to elect Jimmy Carter in 1976. Even when I was in college or when I
registered to vote in Virginia when I was living there, I always wanted my
say in what was happening. The candidates I supported didn't always win, but
I participated in the process.
But this year, it wasn't just
young people who stayed away. What was the excuse for older adults? Are you
too busy to learn about the candidates for the Appellate Courts? Doesn't it
matter who is elected to jobs that will pay more than one million of our tax
dollars over a ten-year term? Are you too busy to vote for school directors
that will have a far greater impact on the taxes you pay than the President
even will? They also shape the public school system where your community's
children are educated. Doesn't that matter?
Apathy is a mystery to me.
Maybe because I'm very opinionated; I just can't understand how people can
stay home on Election Day and not voice their opinion. The patriotism that
surged after September 11th has little meaning if we do not honor those who
have died with our modest effort to keep the system working. It is not a
cliché to say many have died for the right to vote. Our American Revolution
was fought just for that right. Rather than having a king born into power,
we fought to create a system that allowed everyone to have a say in who
governs. Granted, the ride has been bumpy, and it has taken years for women
and minorities to get their rights, but here we are 225 years after that
Revolution, and we are seeing a growing part of the public being too lazy to
get out and vote. |
