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Health & Fitness

A Potpourri of Post-Election Ponderings: Do Elections Still Matter?

It is not cliché at all to say, "Elections are decided by the people who stay home." Will you decide this year's general election by voting or by staying home?

Tuesday, June 7, was Primary Election Day in New Jersey.  For most local voters, it passed as a seemingly insignificant day.  Election turnout in a year like 2011 is often predicted to be generally low since there is no federal or statewide office on the ballot.  But this year’s low primary turnout really caught my attention and got me thinking about why elections, including uncontested primaries, still matter. 

Voting really matters to me (as I know it does to many people).  It’s a value that was instilled in me long ago, and still after all these years, each time I go to the polls, it is as though I am voting for the first time.  In the 25 years I have been a registered voter, I can count on one hand the elections in which I did not cast a vote, tell you the election, and explain the reason why.  When I moved to Lawrence Township ten years ago, I was happy to have the added opportunity to cast a vote in school board elections both for members and for the budget. 

Yes, in New Jersey it’s always election year, and each New Jersey election year offers a plethora of elections of some purported importance every few months.  People, many people, generations before us gave their lives to secure this right that remains the hallmark and cornerstone of the ongoing experiment of U.S. democracy. Yet with so many elections each year, apathy can take hold easily.  With the breadth of gerrymandered congressional and legislative districts, hopes for change often flicker out before they get lit.    It is not cliché at all to say, “Elections are decided by the people who stay home.”

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In general, it is my view that the right to vote is taken for granted in uncontested or non-competitive elections like most New Jersey primary contests.  That doesn’t mean that all the voters who stay home don’t care or fail to vote for bad reasons.  For some, not voting in a given election is a vote:  it’s their choice, their statement on the candidates, maybe even on the office, the parties, or the process.  But for most who stay home, it’s is a matter of not believing that their vote makes a difference or that their participation in the process, even when the vote seems symbolic such as in a non-contested primary, has any value.  Suffice to say, I couldn’t disagree more.

Typically voter turnout is highest in presidential election years followed by senatorial/congressional election years and gubernatorial election years.   Why is that?  Numerous polls show that the average taxpaying citizen is concerned about skyrocketing property taxes and the real costs of living a quality life.  These issues are most directly impacted by the costs of local government.  Why, then, do an increasing number of people stay home during non-federal and non-gubernatorial election years?

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Consider our own township:  This is a municipal election year.  Three township council seats are up in this November’s general election.  Of the three seats, only one incumbent is seeking re-election.  In addition, there are five other candidates running on behalf of the two major parties.  In total, there are six candidates running for three spots. 

That takes me back to voter turnout for Tuesday’s election.  On both sides of the aisle turnout was relatively low, although somewhat proportional in terms of voter registration and party affiliation.  Strategists on both sides will attempt to make predictions and interpret the meaning of the vote tallies from the primary election, but in reality, little meaning can be made in terms of the outcome of the upcoming general election because while registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans (at least) 2 to 1 here in Lawrence Township there are more unaffiliated (non-partisan) registered voters in this township than there are registered Democrats and registered Republicans combined.   That means that general elections here in Lawrence Township – and in fact across Mercer County – can be decided by the unaffiliated voters, the voters who don’t formally align themselves with any one party. 

In fact, without regard for party affiliation, a review of municipal election outcomes for almost 20 years shows that in general a significant percentage of township residents who cast votes for township council in a general election select at least one candidate from each of the two major parties. So, while the Township long ago decided to conduct partisan elections for Township Council, it’s clear from the data that most voters do not want partisanship in operations and cast their votes accordingly, seeking to create a balance of their own making.

In any case, a large number of voters stay home so it is the non-voter who ultimately decides the outcome.  People who don’t vote have seemingly valid reasons for their apathy: political machinery can seem impossible to overcome; the problems we face are too big for anyone to really solve; they don’t like the candidates listed; and a single vote can’t really make a difference.  Well, from experience I can tell you that political machinery only prevails because of the voters who stay home; the powers that be convince us that the problems we face are too big to solve; there’s always the opportunity to cast a vote for a write-in (including yourself); and while rarely do we see how a single vote makes a difference in outcome, every once in a while an election outcome is close enough that we can visibly see how a single vote (or a few of them) made the difference (or would have).  The reality is that a single vote most often makes a difference in combination with other single votes, but that mathematical phenomenon does not take away or lessen the power of a single vote.

Regardless of how one votes, whether in person or by mail, voters should engage in the political process and exercise this most precious right to help shape the future of this Township, this county, this state, and ultimately this country.

So, with the primary election behind us and the general election less than 180 days ahead of us, I ask you: 

Will you exercise this most precious right of our U.S. democracy?

Will you make your voice heard?

Will you make your vote count?

Will you decide the election by voting or by staying home?

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