“So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.� ~~Voltaire
In yesterday’s New York Times, Randal C. Archibold reported on the Arizona Voter Reward Act, “a proposal to award $1 million in every general election to one lucky resident, chosen by lottery, simply for voting.� This November, the citizens of Arizona will have an opportunity to say yea or nay to this proposal. At first glance, the idea seems intriguing, a novel solution to the longstanding problem of voter apathy. Upon reflection, though, the notion of offering financial enticement to voters appears misguided, as suggested in the Times article:
Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate in Washington, said the idea of a voter lottery had come up in other states, but he could not recall any moving forward with it. And he’s glad.
“People should not go vote because they might win a lottery,� Mr. Gans said. “We need to rekindle the religion of civic duty, and that is a hard job, but we should not make voting crassly commercial.�
Editorial writers, bloggers and others have panned the idea as bribery and say it may draw people simply trying to cash in without studying candidates or issues.
“Bribing people to vote is a superficial approach that will have no beneficial outcome to the process, except to make some people feel good that the turnout numbers are higher,� said an editorial in The Yuma Sun. “But higher numbers do not necessarily mean a better outcome.� [full text]
The very fact that proposals such as the one in Arizona are under consideration speaks to a troublesome issue in this country. There is atrophy in the body politic. An increasingly sedentary citizenry is losing interest or desire in exercising the rights and privileges bestowed to them by the founders of this nation. Americans have grown lax. And, as evidenced by the Bush Administration’s unchecked reign of error, we fail to exercise democracy at our own peril.
But the $1 million question is why. It’s easy in a way to blame the public at large for parking their oversized cans on the sofa and paying greater attention to the candidates for “American Idolâ€? than for American high office (as noted here). However, there is plenty of blame to go around, from our elected officials who—by virtue of their vice—fail to inspire our trust, confidence, or participation to the purveyors of our admittedly underfunded and overburdened public educational system who offer civics like the cafeteria offers white rice (i.e., denuded of its essential substance and flavor). Students should not simply be learning about civics but practicing it. We all should, no matter how hard it may be. As Thomas Paine once said: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must…undergo the fatigue of supporting it.â€?
And we can begin supporting it by actively and ardently demanding that those who govern and the electoral process that determines who governs have the utmost integrity and reliability. Any corruption or betrayal of the public trust and good must be answered swiftly and harshly. We ought demand that common interests take precedence over special interests and that those occupying the Capitol be less beholden to capital. We ought demand real representation and greater inclusiveness at all levels of government. Elected office ought not be reserved solely for the wealthiest among us. A greater abundance and diversity of choices could catalyze greater interest and participation in the electoral process. Much change is needed. The answer to voter apathy and uninvolvement is not a cash-prize lottery. Genuine reform that reinvigorates our political and electoral systems and inspires activism in its fullest sense is the answer.
Kmareka.com 
As the comic strip character “Pogo� once said, “we have met the enemy and he is us.� The problem of voter participation, or more accurately lack of participation, has been blossoming since the American Voter was first published in the 1950s. Originally it was thought that people didn’t vote either because they were too busy or too lazy. Since the 1970s, the disturbing trend has been that people drop out of the process as a deliberate statement about their lack of support for the political process. As the Vanishing Voter Project revealed a couple of years ago, the number of voters who are deciding not to vote as a protest against a system that they see as increasingly corrupt and distant from their lives is the most rapidly increasing segment of non-voters in America.
The reasons seem fairly obvious. First, there’s little connection between government and it’s office holders and the people they serve. And what little connection there is often leaves the citizen dissatisfied with the way he was treated by government officials/employees. Over the past few weeks I have heard numerous stories told by ordinary voters about mistreatment by government employees and either lack of respect or outright rudeness by elected officials. That’s when the officials deign to interact with citizens at all. More and more I hear of unanswered phone calls and in one instance where an elected official, during a discussion of a current issue, hung up on a constituent. It’s no wonder that, when treated with such disrespect, people don’t rush to participate in a system that seemingly holds no value to them.
Second, both electoral and governing politics has taken on all the dignity of the WWE. Rather than practice the politics of inclusion – educating and informing the public and inviting dialogue – we practice the politics of personal destruction. The pressure to “go negativeâ€? can be intense because it works. Negative campaigning only serves to incite true believers and drive the rest out of the political marketplace. We need to reach out to citizens who have been ignored and politically marginalized and invite them back into the process. Easier said than done. But I think one thing is clear – candidates have an obligation to positively engage voters/citizens about issues of concern, and voters have an obligation to reject the practitioners of negative politics and reward those candidates who treat voters with the respect they deserve.
Finally, we need to make the process of voting easier and more understandable to the average voter. Perhaps making Election Day a holiday so people could go to the polls during the day rather than after work would increase participation. Maybe voting on a weekend during the summer when the weather is nicer would entice people to come out. Early voting is an option that could be explored. And with the advent of new technology, voting could be more secure and transparent, and more accessible to more people than ever before.
In a democracy, elections are the only time that voters can express their collective will. Those of us who seek office have to honor and celebrate that fact. Those who seek to lead can start by leading by example. Candidates who treat the process with respect and who reach out to all voters can begin the long process of rehabilitating the electoral process.
Sheesh. I could just spit, I’m so disgusted.
People have fought and died for the right to vote in fair elections. It’s an honor/privilege/responsibility to take part in the choosing of individual persons to represent collective bodies of people.
grrrrr.
Sheesh. I could just spit, I’m so disgusted.
People have fought and died for the right to vote in fair elections. It’s an honor/privilege/responsibility to take part in the choosing of individual persons to represent collective bodies of people.
grrrrr.
While I was registering people to vote in 2004, the common refrain was that government doesn’t do anything but put more money into the hands of the connected.
I think they’re right actually. But, I think if people grabbed hold of the truth that they control how the country, state, city shall be run – either with their voice or lack thereof – I think we could see a revolution in this country.
But if people continue to feel powerless, then a vote will only mean something – and only to politicians at that – every November.
As some might know, I’m running for office. While walking through a neighborhood yesterday, knocking on doors, I happened upon an 85 year old man. He was physically vigorous and mentally sharp. And he was an adamant non-voter. A self-described “depression kid� he had lived through the most challenging times in American history. Times when government, through elected officials, organized resources to overcome the gravest threats of the 20th Century. Now, you couldn’t drag him to a voting place.
For the past 50 years, he’s been continuously disappointed by politicians of all stripes. Promises made and not kept, with the public increasingly marginalized while special interests are exalted have driven him from the political marketplace. He now sees his vote as either an empty gesture of a by-gone civic virtue or as simply a meaningless joke.
After spending ten minutes listening to him it became clear that he wasn’t a crank. Rather, he was a thoughtful individual who was saddened that he could no longer participate in a process that he once valued. He assured me that it wasn’t personal (which because I was lumped into a group that he detested, it was) but that he could not vote for me or anyone else. He stated that although he thought I was honest and sincere, he was convinced that if elected I would become a puppet like everyone else in office, tethered to a few power brokers to do their bidding – often at the expense of the public interest.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve heard this complaint. I’m sure it won’t be the last. But what struck me most was the deep level of profound hopelessness that he had toward the system. And it wasn’t as though he had no skin in the game – he was homeowner whose taxes rose $ 800 this year (obviously missing the Laffey tax “reductionâ€?) and cared for a sick wife. He could use a government to make life a little easier, but instead sees government as abandoning its responsibilities to the public. So, it’s an easy leap for him to justify abandoning his responsibilities as a citizen. From his perspective, his decision is informed, rational and logical – and unshakeable.
The challenge to our political system is bringing this man, and the thousands like him, back into the process and meaningfully engaging him in discussion and providing a means for his positive participation in the process. Don is right when he says that if we could empower people, or cause people to realize that they hold the power, a “revolution� could take place. A positive revolution where all voices can be raised and heard and the collective will of the people can be expressed and heeded.
After having looked at this issue for a number of years it is clear that the problem of non-participation will not be solved quickly or easily. This problem has evolved over time and will only be resolved over time. There’s no quick fix. However, it’s got to start somewhere and I think it begins with each candidate for office – whether in office or out – to speak their truth to voters. As a candidate, I have an obligation to tell my truth to voters and to listen to theirs. Only then can we engage in meaningful conversation about issues and problems that confront us all. As candidates, we lead by example when we treat citizens as valued participants in the process and honor that process even when we’re disappointed with the results. We need to move away from those who use the political process merely for personal advancement and see voters as mere pawns in the game. Only then can we start to re-instill in each voter the realization of the inherent power that each has.
Is this a solution? No, it’s just a start.