Mention to someone that it’s “election season” and people immediately move to an alternate level of consciousness.
We are inundated with the presidential election for 2016, the debates and the partisan shouting that comes from both political parties.
When someone mentions “elections” we immediately go to that altered state of consciousness, eyes glaze over, contemplating our to-do lists or just about anything else until the person changes the subject.
Elections have become synonymous with corruption, fact checking, and special interest groups.
As a result, citizens don’t vote.
In the United States, the right to cast a vote to decide how and by whom we will be governed is so taken for granted that the majority of us don’t even bother. National elections in which we decide who will be president occasionally generate a little more interest but the local races? It’s shocking how few of us will care.
In the 2013 municipal election, the Centre County election office results indicate that of the 107,414 registered voters, only 19,245 voters chose to go out and cast their vote. That’s just a hair under 18 percent of the voters in our county.
The experts say if it’s raining or cold next week on election day, the turnout could be even less.
Other reasons that people give for not voting? Researchers report that people don’t vote because they are too busy. They report “I forgot to vote.” Illness or disability is another reason people give for not voting. Lack of interest in the issues or candidates keeps people away from the polls.
Finally, the feeling that our votes don’t really count and that government is run by a small group of special interest groups (often perceived to be as corrupt) leads people to think “why bother?”
So let me get this straight. People believe that who runs our government and how our government is run is decided by a small group of people so only a small number of people vote?
It defies logic.
As the saying goes, when you take things for granted, the things you are granted get taken.
The closer the vote and the decision to us and to our families, the more engaged we should be in the process.
When asked to weigh in on decisions that impact our lives in other situations, most of us would wholeheartedly cast a vote because of the direct impact it has on our lives. From work to play, if given the opportunity to assist in a decision that impacts us, few of us would say “I’m too busy.”
Let’s say you are making plans with friends. The group is deciding on where to go for dinner. The end result has potential impact on your wallet, your health and welfare and the overall experience. Do we want McDonald’s or The Tavern? If the process is fair and my preferred restaurant isn’t selected, I have at least expressed my opinion and attempted to meet my needs.
We don’t pass up the opportunity to vote in every day decisions but we leave the big decisions — who will govern us — to others.
Municipal elections, as well as those at the state level, generally generate fewer voters than in presidential election years. In this writer’s humble opinion, the local races — those which often have the greatest impact on our day to day lives — are the elections that are the most important.
How we vote and if we vote in the local elections has a direct impact on life here in Centre County.
Election day is just over a week away. Find out who is running and where they stand on local issues. Learn about their qualifications. Ignore the pricey ads and public relations push. Vote based on the person and not the party.
If you don’t exercise your right to vote and leave it up to others to decide, do you give up the right to complain?
