Record: Only 25% Turnout (No Record as Predicted)

Editorial: Don't fret: Voting is vastly overrated
Posted: August 31, 2016 - 4:39pm | Updated: September 1, 2016 - 12:03am





We’ve got a question for readers, following Tuesday’s primary balloting.

No, you’re wrong. We weren’t going to ask why less than one in four of you got off your duffs and did the deed.

No, that’s not it. What honestly stumps us is why 170,000 of you took the time to register to vote if you had no intention of doing it anyway. You’ve got to admit, it almost takes simple sloth out of equation. You did take the time to sign up. It was certainly a waste of your time and that of all the folks at the Supervisor of Elections office.

■ Too much effort for you? “Effort” is an exaggeration these days with voter services what they are.

■ Too far? There are 44 precincts in this county of 608 square miles. If you live in the middle of Twelve Mile Swamp, the farthest you might drive is 13 miles. In the metro areas you might travel 13 blocks.

■ Can’t get out? Vote absentee. All you need do is call 823-2238. When the person picks up the phone, just say “Mail me a ballot,” and they’ll do it on their dime.

■ Too busy to vote, are you? That might have made sense 10 years ago but, today, you have nine days in which to vote early.

■ Looks like rain? Get an umbrella.

■ Don’t care? Why register?

This was an important primary election. Because of write-in candidates, it was more like a general election. One-fourth of the voters decided three (one race is in recount today) of five county commission seats.

You scream about taxes. You wail about insufficient infrastructure. There is a constant gnashing of teeth over runaway growth. A more serious problem may be runaway voters.

Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes is pretty good at predicting turnout. She was off by 12,000. So even an embarrassing estimation of a third of the voters coming out — was far too optimistic for our residents. “People are lazy … and I’m real disappointed,” she told us Wednesday morning.

There was a dated theory on elections that postulated it was far better when the rabble stayed away from the polls. The ones with the intelligence and money could do a better job of picking elected officials. The downside was that elected officials then owed their positions to the intelligent, vested and monied interests. Still, maybe it’s time to try it again, since we seem to be heading there anyway.

We propose a new ordinance. (Disclaimer: This is moderately tongue-in-cheek in nature.) You snooze, you lose.

At the end of each general election each year, let’s purge the registration rolls of everyone who failed to show up to the polls: no exceptions for sore throats, vacations, etc. If you care enough to make it right and do it all over again (and pay the $15 renewal fee), then maybe you’ll have the responsibility to vote the next time around. If not, be content to let the minority make the decisions that directly affect your livelihood, quality of life and the education of your children.

But it does seem like we fought a war 240 years ago to end just that kind of tyranny.

The really sad thing is, today our brand of voter tyranny is so utterly self-inflicted.