Voting
As I hope you Americans are aware, yesterday was Election Day. I’m not here to talk about the results, which we’re all going to disagree on. I want to comment on voter turnout.
I go to the most politically active school, in Washington, DC. I have a very different experience about political activism and awareness. At my school, Tuesday evening events were canceled, and Election Parties were held in their place. Facebook was abuzz with last-minute campaigning and status updates about voting, candidates, and reactions to the returns. I don’t know anyone that didn’t vote. (Even my roommate, a DC resident, made it out to the polls when she had a sinus infection and voting in DC is practically pointless– we don’t get a vote in Congress, and our mayoral race was decided in the Democratic primary.)
Meanwhile, back home in New Jersey, a friend texted me that most of the people she talked to didn’t even know that it was Election Day. Hardly anyone bothered to vote, or request an absentee ballot as I did. AP reports average voter turnout to be about 42%– up from 2006’s midterm elections, but still rather pitiful. What’s disgusting are the sort of ads like this one, that encourage people to not vote.
The complaints about low voter turn-out and lack of civic responsibility aren’t new. Nothing I said is unique or different than what dozens of people are saying. But it is still something that bothers me, especially among my age group. Apathy is pointless. In addition to the great Craig Ferguson rant above from 2008 (which is worth watching the whole thing, though it gets good in the second half), watch this one, too. He makes some great points about how voting always matters (even though I joked earlier about how it doesn’t in DC).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1good-Ifdg[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
There seemed to be a pretty good voter turnout in our area (East Texas). Alas, my votes are seldom, if ever, with th e majority in this area, but I know my vote still counts…my reasoning is that the more significant the number of people who disagree with the majority vote in an area, the more creedance (sp?) will be given to the other POV, thereby (hopefully) increasing the probability of some kind of reasonable compromise on key issues.
I still think we ought to move to popular vote, though — the electoral system was fine and dandy when technology wasn’t what it is now. I would imagine popular vote would increase voter turnout, as well.
I enjoyed both of those clips, Jane. And he is so right in both of them. Michigan did rather well statewide from the results I’ve seen so far regarding the turnout yesterday. However, the city of Detroit did not. I believe I’ve read anywhere from 15 to 20% of the registered voters showed up. Now that’s very sad. I understand that was typical for many large cities across the nation also.
I’ve heard the remark by people that by not voting they’re voting anyway. Well, that’s just not true, as Craig Ferguson alluded to in one of the clips. Voter apathy should be a sin, if it isn’t already. Just as Ferguson said, for those people who say they’re not interested in politics, are they alive? Because if they are, they’re involved—their lives depend on what’s happening out there.
Enough, because I could go on forever, but won’t.