Top Ten Reasons Why People Don't Vote
I know a lot of people who don't regularly vote. Most of them know that I'm President of the League of Women Voters here in St. Tammany. It seems as if they think I'll tell them that it's okay. I listen politely while they relate all of the reasons why they don't vote. And I think I've heard them all a thousand times. Here are some of the reasons people use the most.
1. I don't like politics. What does this mean? Does the person not like politicians? Do they know any politicians? And what difference does that make? Webster's Dictionary has several definitions of politics: the art or science of government, and the total complex of relations between people in society. Government and therefore, politics, directly influences your daily life at least as much as family, business, or religion. Politics determines the conditions of your roads, whether there is a park close to your neighborhood, and if your son or daughter might be asked to go to war. If you take the broadest definition of politics you could say that we are all engaged in the political process whenever we exchange goods and services and behave in a civil and respectful manner with other people. It's a part of the daily fabric of our lives.
2. It doesn't matter . They're all the same. I know a lot of people and except for some identical twins, none of them are "the same". I'm always amazed when I hear someone say that they would never vote for either a Democrat or a Republican. Candidates aren't stamped from cookie cutters (or shouldn't be, at any rate). Some candidates have studied the science of government, but not the art. Others have only the art and none of the science. Some candidates turn into politicians who craft good laws and persuade enough of their colleagues to vote for laws that make a difference in your life. Think back to the great statesmen; each of them has or had a way of making everyone around them smarter and better.
3. My vote doesn't count. History has proved this statement wrong so many times. John F. Kennedy won the Presidency in 1960 by getting one more vote per precinct in Illinois; Texas won statehood in 1845 by just one vote; and women won the right to vote in 1920 by a single vote. There are thousands of instances from around the world where one vote has made the difference. Do we need election law reform? Absolutely. By now, everyone who reads this column knows that I'm a strong supporter of Instant Runoff Voting. The League of Women Voters also supports redistricting reform, campaign finance reform, and the abolishment of the Electoral College system for Presidential elections. The only way for change to occur is by voting in politicians who share these views.
4. I don't have time to learn about the issues and candidates. These are the people who will determine what level of services you will receive and how much it will cost you. These propositions and Constitutional Amendments become laws that you and your children have to live with for many years in some cases. Read the newspaper, attend a candidates' forum, search the internet, or at least ask a friend what they are going to do and why. I wouldn't trust some of these candidates to feed my cats for a weekend let alone ask them to solve the healthcare or transportation crisis.
5. My spouse and I always disagree and we just cancel out each other's votes. Honest, I'm not lying, this is one of the most common reasons I hear every year. Generally speaking, the candidate who receives the most votes wins. That means that your vote gets added up with a lot of other people's votes and that's how a winner is determined. Just because you and your spouse vote differently, doesn't mean you cancel each other's votes out. Go vote.
6. I just don't have time. You can vote early. I know it's a little tricky trying to figure out when Early Voting begins, but go to your Registrar of Voters office two weeks before the election. For the October 20 election coming up, Early Voting is October 8 through the 13. It's no longer called absentee voting so you don't have to make up a reason why you can't vote on Election Day. Just go and vote.
7. My spouse votes for me. I kid you not. I've had women tell me that their husbands take care of this, like it's the same thing as emptying the garbage or mowing the lawn. Women struggled to win the right to vote from the time of Abigail Adams when she warned her husband John, "to remember the ladies" when the Constitution was being written and right through to the end when Carrie Chapman Catt (the founder of the League of Women Voters) and millions of others finally convinced enough states to ratify the 19th Amendment.
8. I'm not registered to vote because I don't want to serve on jury duty. I usually just ask them if they have a driver's license and when they say yes, I tell them they have just as much chance of being called for jury duty as someone who is registered to vote.
9. I'm working for change outside the system. Oftentimes, the person who says this is wearing a t-shirt with a huge red A on it for anarchy. I sympathize with young people. We've made a huge mess of a lot of things: the environment, taxes, schools, and health care, to name just a few. We need your new ideas because we're obviously not getting the job done. It's up to each of us to inspire our 18-24 year olds to get involved in the political process.
10. And last time, I didn't know there was an election. Campaign signs litter every foot of the highways. Old bumper stickers are being removed and new ones are showing up. You Tube, the internet, newspapers, radios, and televisions are filled with election talk. How does this happen? Are their days and nights so filled with work or play that this news just passes them by?
Be an informed and active voter this October. For a list of candidate forums and more information, visit our web site, http://www.lwvst.info.
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