Published: July 23, 2008 05:07 pm            

Despite media chiding, it’s a right to not vote

During any election year, there is one constant: Somewhere along the way, editors and columnists will write pieces chiding the public for low voter turnout. Such lectures have become inevitable.

In history’s greatest democracy, voter turnout has been on a downward spiral for decades. As we progress into the 21st century, 50 percent voter turnout nationally is considered danged good. It isn’t, of course, and even that’s a suspect number, since only about 70 percent of eligible voters even bother to register.

Members of the media simply can’t resist calling out voters (or non-voters, if you will) on this topic. And most of our chiding can be reduced to a single sentence: If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain. That includes complaints about who’s in office, the outcome of a tax initiative or what change in a law or ordinance results from your non-participation.

Well, voters of Jefferson County, you won’t read such chastising in this space.

First of all, it’s my observation that repeated lectures on non-voting have little or no impact. Despite media finger-wagging, voter turnout in this country remains somewhere between poor and embarrassing.

Second, whether those of us who consistently vote like it or not, every eligible American voter has the right to not vote. In this country, the freedom of non-voting is as sacrosanct as the freedom of voting.

Third, suggesting that people who don’t vote have no ‘right’ to complain runs completely contrary to the human condition. Regardless the governmental system they live under, grumbling about anything and everything is an inherent human entitlement.

Sure, there’s a credibility problem when Americans who won’t participate in the system are constantly haranguing and lambasting the system for poor performance or for producing poorly qualified leaders. But apparently, a lot of folks across the nation feel comfortable with that inconsistency.

Although some might insist otherwise, non-voting is as prevalent at the local level as on the national scene. Most Jefferson County residents consider themselves red-white-and-blue patriots and staunch Americans, but the numbers reveal local voters are as apathetic as others across the nation.

In the presidential preferential primary election in February, statistics from the Jefferson County board of election show that 2,210 of 3,680 eligible voters cast a ballot. In an election that included three county municipal races and the Democratic and Republican presidential races, Jefferson County’s 60.05 percent turnout was quite good. But it was an aberration.

Two wit: In a primary election in 2004, JeffCo voters had an opportunity to be decision-makers in races for U.S. senate, state senate, county sheriff, county clerk and one county commissioner office. All told, 38.6 percent of voters cast a ballot.

The turnout percentage from the 2004 primary was down from the 39.34 percent of voters who participated in a primary election in 2000. And in a primary election in 1996, with U.S. senate, corporation commission, state representative, county sheriff and a county commissioner race on the ballot, local turnout was 37.59 percent.

For several months, through stories and, yes, through political advertising, the News-Democrat has made an effort to inform voters about the individuals who may have a local impact, be they county, state or national candidates. And a lot of space in today’s edition of the WND is given to the primary and special elections being held Tuesday.

We feel one duty of a newspaper is to inform the electorate about the people who will provide leadership on all levels of government, and to provide you with information about the process.

However, neither this newspaper nor I can lead you into the voting booth. The motivation to participate, to have a say in the process and to exercise the right to vote lies completely within each eligible individual.

If you do participate, that will be a grand confirmation of citizenship and of not taking a hard-earned American right for granted. If you don’t vote, so be it — you have the guaranteed right of non-participation.

And after the election, if you didn’t participant but still want to grouse and gripe about who ended up in office, go right ahead. For some, that appears to be the American Way.

        

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