The Pitiful Options for the Modern Voter
About two weeks ago, an op-ed titled “The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years” ran in the New York Times. I found it when trying to figure out if other Deep Southern states had the same pitifully low voter turnout that we had in Alabama (41%), and it seems that they did. Nationally, turnout was 36%. I don’t have the time or the space to explain fully why such low voter turnout bothers me, but I will share a little bit.
First of all, a current fad politicians among politicians has them calling all election results a “mandate,” a supposedly clear and obvious indication that the victorious candidate’s platform is endorsed fully by the people. For example, on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning, November 16, Louisiana’s governor Bobby Jindal made the claim that this month’s Republican victories were clear proof that Americans prefer their ideas to Obama’s. That can’t be true when only one-third to one-half of voters show up to vote. To be more thorough and honest about the election results, if a candidate wins with 60% of the vote in an election with 36% turnout, then that candidate only received the support of about one-in-five registered voters. That isn’t a “mandate.” That equation really means that, out of every five voters, about one voted for you, about one voted against you, and the other three didn’t think you or your opponent were worthy of changing their daily routine.
The only clear conclusion we can draw from this month’s elections is that 64% of America’s registered voters didn’t show up. Well, why not? My guess, which is shared by many pundits, is that people are so fed up with modern politics – divisive, angry, unproductive, uncooperative – that voting for any candidate seems an absurd act. Lower voter turnout seems, to me, to be a clear indication of one thing: the disgust of the American people with politics and politicians— the very ones who don’t intend to change.
Today, our either-or choice is “pro-business” Republicans who say no to everything except war and laissez-faire economics, or “big government” Democrats whose go-to public policy solution is creating another program that will add to our national debt (because Republicans will say no to new taxes). Not much of a choice for someone like me who believes in income equality and fiscal responsibility and helping the poor and disadvantaged.
Additionally, low voter turnout confuses me because, at least where I live, patriotism doesn’t seem to be waning in the same way. We still wave our flags and support our troops and say our “pledge of allegiance” and repeat the mantra that “freedom isn’t free.” But American democracy needs for us to vote, which many Americans seem to be neglecting . . .
Honestly, I understand it when voter turnout hovers at 70% – 80%. It’s realistic that two or three people out of ten will be too busy to go vote on that day, and that others will be out of town and neglect doing an absentee ballot. Adults have a range of responsibilities from working (sometimes two) jobs to kids’ extracurriculars to caring for elderly parents. That’s life. But to have two of every three voters not come . . . that’s either apathy or frustration.
Is there any hope? Maybe. As a part of his Democracy Day idea, US senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a bill that would make voting day a national holiday. I agree wholeheartedly. If we can take other national holidays for our patriotism – July 4th, Veterans Day, Memorial Day – then voting day should be a part of that ideal. Not surprisingly, at least one voice from the political right-wing (the National Review) says no. (For a response to their response, here is MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow commenting on her blog.)
Low voter turnout should be a resounding message to the upper echelons of our polity that Americans are fed up. But they won’t get it, or at least they won’t admit that they get it. They’re too busy trying to win the rhetorical battles that define their careers, while the rest of have to live with their results of their overweening pride.
I wish I had any idea how to solve this dilemma. My best idea is for ordinary Americans to write to political party leaders and tell them that we’re tired of either-or choices, especially when both choices are undesirable. But if Americans aren’t going take the time to vote, they certainly aren’t going to take the time to do that either.
My final say is: if we want to honor the sacrifices made by veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the veterans of domestic “wars” like labor struggles and the Civil Rights movement, then we have to vote. People have fought and died, both at home and abroad, so we get to vote. It’s only right to go do it.
Filed under: Civil Rights, Education, Local Issues, Social Justice, The Deep South, The Environment
