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OK, so I already said what I felt like saying about not voting on November 8th. See last post. But there is more to it. Many said and acted as if they were disgusted with the two major party candidates. That easily could account for the lower turnout. Many groups voted in smaller numbers than in the past; groups that are popularly considered to be of limited influence and getting less than average respect and opportunity. Yes, we show up to vote in a half-assed way, if you can say about half means about half.
Please find the New Yorker magazine article None Of The Above by Caleb Crain from the November 7, 2016 issue, distributed a week before November 8th. Its subject is voter ignorance and neither major party has a franchise tag on that status. He references numerous books published in the last 10 years about what is wrong with our method of general elections along with the usual suggestions of how to fix them. This assumes democracy needs fixing. I have a couple silly ideas, but what will actually work?
Make it a national holiday with the easiest access to the polls that can be arranged (Lyft rides, free flu shots, a free dental exam, DNA analysis to confirm your bloodlines and a kiss from Miss or Mister America). Pay everyone $25 when they show up and vote. Pay them more if that is what it takes to get turnout higher. Give some people more incentive to vote, such as a chicken in every pot plus the money. Waive some student loan amounts for voting. Make it a tax amnesty holiday. Give tickets to see Hamilton (not the one in Ontario Canada). Free parking all day. Gift certificates to Meow Wolf.
Seriously, ideas have been floated that make sense. If you cannot name your state Senators (you have two) and at least one Representative, plus your Governor, should you be able to vote? Can you tell me the capital city of the state in which you live? Amazing numbers of people cannot answer simple questions about the government they are able to vote for. Name 3 of the Supreme Court justices? How about name two? In what year did Jesus die? Is Dick Cheney a small game hunter? Is Chelsea going to be President someday? Or Ivanka? Did anyone write in Bannon or how did he get into the Oval Office so fast?
Democracy may be just fine. Likely it is better than any other form of government. But it may have been a bit under the weather the last few months straining to take in some bland food without upsetting its digestive system more than necessary. Maybe it is not important that more people vote. Flipping a coin might be the best way to choose who gets to serve. More people voting might have given us the same results, but its the ones that do not vote and them scream their little heads off about what is wrong that get me going. Do we have to listen to them for four years? Did we listen to them the last four years?
Thanks for listening. Enjoy the rest of your democracy.
