I haven't figured out why most people don't bother to vote in a primary
election.
But I think I can estimate what that apathy is worth to the average
person:
About 25 minutes.
I figure the average Joe or Jane in my town can probably get to the
polling place, pull the levers or push the buttons, and get back home in about
25 minutes.
There are a lot of things you can do in 25 minutes.
In my town, this year, last week, choosing the next mayor of the city
was one of them.
Not too many people picked that one….
Roughly, 2,700 Democrats picked Candidate X. Candidate X was conservative
Old Guard. Candidate Y was progressive New Blood. There was no Republican
candidate, so Candidate X is a shoo-in come this November.
It's gonna be same old,
same old.
Only 18.5% of registered Democrats turned out to vote, X won by only a couple
hundred votes , so about 11% of the city's Democrats picked the next mayor.
In other words, our mayor was chosen by about 5% of the adults who are old
enough to vote.
This is not democracy at work.
 |
| Maybe this is one reason... |
Some sizeable number of the non-voters must actually care more or less about
how the city is run, especially as it affects them throughout the year.
But they didn't bother to vote…
A foundational assumption of democracy—motivated, participating citizens—is
wrong.
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