|
Volume CXXXII, Number 8 |
 |
So what if there's a low voter turnout?
PAT ROCKEFELLER
COLUMNIST
If I read one more article about Bowdoin's political apathy in the Orient, I am going to just stop caring all together. Even more disturbing is a trend in the articles that says that for some reason it is a good idea for students who are apathetic to "get out there and vote."
Voting is not a cure for apathy. It is, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, the silver frame around the golden apple that is civil engagement. Encouraging the apathetic to vote is like giving Super Bowl tickets to someone who has never even seen a football game before and really doesn't want to. To make myself abundantly clear, I hope those of you who are politically apathetic did not vote.
This is not to bash the "politically apathetic." If you are apathetic, that is your business. I am sure you have your own interests-chemistry, reading, sports, drinking heavily-and politics may not be one of them. This is directed more towards the politically active who take it as their sacred duty to ensure that all people vote, regardless of how much they know or care.
Current trends in informed political thinking say that voting is an unquantifiable good in and of itself. Therefore, anything that can increase the number of people who vote is good. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that such a large percentage of our population does not abide by this logic.
We have come to see low turnout-especially among youth-as a national tragedy, and representative of the failure of the system. We therefore make efforts to get as many people to register and vote as possible. We have, for example, Motor Voter Laws, Get out the Vote Drives, and most disturbing of all MTV's Rock the Vote.
If I were ever to endorse a ban on political speech it would be any political speech coming from MTV. I do not say that lightly, as political speech is perhaps the most important kind of free speech. I came to this conclusion, however, when I saw MTV give its support in 2000 to Alan Keyes because he stage-dived into a crowd of 20-year-olds to the tune of Rage Against the Machine. If you are familiar with Alan Keyes, you will understand why this was perhaps the single most awkward event that I have ever witnessed.
But why is it such a sin that those who do not care, and therefore do not inform themselves, also do not vote? The logical conclusion regarding low turnout is that most people are, on the whole, satisfied with the way things are, and therefore do not feel that it is worth their time to vote. This is anathema to the politically active, but no less true.
I saw a disturbing poll last election cycle that said most young people get their news from late night talk shows. These are funny shows, but the foundation of an educated populace they are not. One of the fears of democracy was of the Tyranny of the Majority. Fortunately, due to low turnout, we need not fear the Tyranny of the Morons as well.
Voting is an important responsibility, and as such should be done by people who take political issues seriously. Voting for the sake of voting does not enrich our Republic, but diminishes it. Soon, with the advent of the internet, we will no doubt see online voting, so people can vote at home in their underwear between checking email and reading The Onion. And a beautiful day for democracy and freedom that will be.
Unlike what your parents said about driving a car, voting is a right, not a privilege, and so it should be taken very seriously. That said, all rights come with responsibilities. In the case of voting the responsibility is to be informed about who and what you are voting for and against. If you are too apathetic to do that, fine. But I hope you stayed home on Tuesday.