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Now comes
a study by the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate that says that
voting in the first 20 Democratic primaries of 2004 (those through March 2, or
Super Tuesday) had the third lowest turnout since 1960.
So,
in an election that is as important as any in recent history, when the decision
of who will oppose George W. Bush is vital, most of the electorate decided it
would be better to stay at home than go out and cast a vote for one of his potential
opponents. This
is not an indictment of John Kerry — he has a solid record and should provide
the Democratic Party with a viable nominee — but rather a condemnation of
the apathy of today's voter. Millions
complain that things in the country are bad - the Iraqi war is unjust and President
Bush is completely ignoring the important issues of today. Yet, where are these
protesters when it comes time to transform their objections into action? They
certainly weren't at the polls. Part
of the strategy surrounding this year's primary calendar was to provide the Democrats
with a nominee early in the process and to avoid a protracted battle that simply
would showcase the weaknesses of a candidate and drain his treasuries. In
retrospect, perhaps this strategy backfired. The most vital component in a republic
is participation. Since we do not vote directly on issues, but rather, elect the
officials who vote on issues for us, it is imperative that we carefully select
our representatives. No other office is more important than the presidency. While
our Founding Fathers wisely separated the powers of our government's branches,
the realities of the 21st century endow the president with authority far beyond
anything our forefathers could have imagined. Perhaps
the way that Kerry steamrolled through the primary calendar made us forget that
his nomination was not a fait accomplish. Maybe a more spread-out primary calendar
would have allowed the various candidates to showcase their strengths and encouraged
real debate over who was the best person to challenge Bush. Maybe
this debate would have spurred the electorate to the polls. Whatever
the reason, when it came time to vote, people stayed home. John Edward's charisma,
Howard Dean's passion, neither of these seemed to make a difference. Instead,
people assumed that Kerry would win and nothing they could do would make a difference
in that outcome. Ironic considering that the 2000 election came down to a little
more than 500 votes in Florida. So,
you have your nominee, not by choice, but by apathy. Don't make the mistake of
being apathetic come November. If you are you will have no one to blame for the
results.
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