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Representative
democracy is a process, not a result. So, although
the primary process in Virginia did produce
winners to move on to the next round in November,
the absurdly low turnout on June 14 shows just how
broken the process is.
As
one reporter summed up, “Few surprises, few
voters,” Virginia almost got the answer to the
rhetorical question, “What would happen if we
had a primary election and no one came?”
For
the record, voter turnout June 14 totaled 288,800
voters out of the 4.4 million registered in the
Commonwealth. That is single digit turnout. Three
and nine-tenths percent of voters cast ballots or
touched electronic screens in the Republican
primary; 2.6 percent did so in the Democratic
primary. Those are the kind of numbers one would
expect in response to an unsolicited mail offering
for an obscure product from a fly-by-night outfit
no one’s ever heard of.
Three
and nine-tenths percent gets your television
program cancelled after one episode. Two and
six-tenths percent takes the movie off the big
screen after one weekend and into DVD release at
the video store. Responses like that have food
store managers sweeping your boxes or magazines
off the shelf in favor of something that will
sell.
Two
Republican candidates for attorney general, for
example, spent $3.5 million to get 166,930 votes
between them. One House candidate spent more than
$100,000 to get a thousand votes. In the private
sector, that type of performance would call for
both a new product rollout and a new vice
president of marketing and sales. But elections
and voting are supposed to be much more important
than television programs, movies and cereal,
particularly in the cradle of modern
representative democracy, so why aren’t they
getting more response?
Blame
in these cases usually is assigned first to the
political candidates. The media is particularly
good at suggesting, “The candidates did not
offer voters any reason to come out,” as if it
is the job of the candidates to excite the
electorate into a “storm the polling place”
frenzy. In fact, even as some editors were calling
for deeper discussions of issues, their political
reporters, week after week, lazily mirrored the
Lite Beer-like commercial sloganeering of the
candidates: “Less taxation! More education!
Smaller government! Transportation great.”
Any
modern campaign, in truth, wants turnout to reach
the level that works most to its advantage. At the
same time, campaigns work within the parameters of
what samplers suggest the turnout will be.
Campaigns aim to excite those inclined to support
their candidate, but ignore those who have no
potential to help and even actively discourage
those who have the potential to help an opponent.
While the goal of an electorate may be to put in
place good governance, the goal of a candidate is
to win an election. If a low turnout works to that
end, fine. The first question from a professional
pollster is, “Are you likely to vote?” If the
answer is “No,” the poll ends right there.
Political
parties do not have a permanent and enduring stake
in increasing voter turnout either. Target the
small number of chronic voters in a primary
election, don’t stir things up too much, in
fact, and the darlings of the party machinery
win.
In
their defense, political candidates in Virginia
can argue that they only file petitions, raise
funds and seek votes on election days that already
are set up by the Commonwealth. State government
makes the rules in consultation with registered
political parties. Government then purposely
remains vague and gray on voter participation,
despite its constitutional role as the repository
of citizen rights and responsibilities, lest the
process not been seen as fairly administered.
Higher voter turnout, remember, may work to one
candidate’s advantage!
But
political candidates and governments at their best
offer only reflections of the people they
represent. So the blame for only 6.5 percent of
registered voters voting ultimately falls to that
undefined mass known as registered voters or the
people. And the people on June 14 were thinking,
“Elections? Whatever.”
People
might have been tired of elections held every
single year in Virginia or they didn’t care
about who won. They might not have paid attention
to the news for a few months or they didn’t
expect that the results would make a difference.
They might have wanted to avoid the political
charges and counter-charges that make normal
conversation about politics and political choices
difficult or they might have just been willing to
let others, you know, take care of it.
Engage
a small group for even a short amount of time
about the 6.5 percent voter turnout on June 14,
however, and the civics lessons -- the
responsibility to vote, the importance to
governing when more people vote, the new ways that
state government could boost voter participation
–- emerge immediately. A stream of consciousness
summary of a discussion over lunchtime pizza, a
time where one can get a real reflection of what
people are thinking, not just an artificial answer
to a poll question, illustrates how.
“People
should vote. It’s the basis for our government.
So why don’t they?"
“We
should require them to vote. But where’s the
integrity in forcing people to do things? Well,
where’s the integrity in results where six
percent of the people choose something for
everyone else? "
“Make
voting mandatory like Australia. Fine them if they
don’t vote. Give them points on their drivers’
license. The state issues the licenses, so to
renew, you have to vote regularly."
“No,
rewards work better than punishments -- and voting
needs to be more exciting. Put private companies
in charge of election day with entertainment and
giveaways. If you vote, you get a voucher for
merchandise or frequent flyer miles or an I-Tune.
Whose money is being wasted on those “I Voted”
stickers?"
“Reward
people who vote with a tax credit. An incentive
for voting is more important than an incentive for
giving campaign contributions and Virginia already
has a $50 tax credit for giving candidates money."
“We
need to make it easier for people to vote. There
should be more time to vote than just one day. We
should be able to vote absentee for any reason
instead of having to swear that we’re out of
town or deathly ill."
“Allow
Internet voting. We move trillions of dollars
around the globe every day via the Internet and
that’s not secure enough for a vote? At least
let us vote through the mail."
“Give
the campaign season a focus. Have primaries in the
fall, then have a short time until the general
election so people don’t have to try to pay
attention for over a year. And get Virginia state
and local elections in the same year as the
federal elections. The rest of us have a life
outside of an endless election season. Hello, what
do you think we were doing on June 14?”
“Politics
isn’t even the best competition anymore. It’s
way more contrived and less real than Survivor or
American Idol. People vote there every week.”
If
Virginians understand that a higher level of
participation in elections is an essential element
of good government and good citizenship,
responsibility can’t be left to those most
likely to manipulate it to their advantage.
Virginia could give political candidates, state
government and taxpayers an incentive to maximize
voter turnout: Unless 50 percent of registered
voters participate in an election, the results
don’t count.
--
June 20, 2005
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