VOTE NOTE : Primary Blues

Does familiarity with democracy breed contempt?

In Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria--oh so fresh and new to the democratic game--people hit the polling booths over the weekend as if they were going to the beach. In Bulgaria, 84% of the 6.4 million eligible voted; the Czech figure reached 96% of 11.2 million.

Not here. Only 39% of the 19 million eligible bothered to vote last week in the California primary. Why? One theory: Nowadays people vote less because they think it does little good. In a way, non-voting is a kind of protest non-movement.

Then there’s another theory--that fewer people vote these days because America is working well enough and people are not all that agitated. Hmm... By such logic, Californians must be profoundly satisfied with the way things are going--Tuesday’s turnout was the lowest since 1960.

And then there’s a theory that it’s a good thing not everyone votes. With Tuesday’s ballot loaded down with propositions, only the well-informed could not have been intimidated by the prospect of voting. So people who’re aware of what’s going on voted, while those who didn’t much care or don’t know much didn’t. So why encourage ignorant voting by decrying low turnouts?

Sophistries aside, it’s better when more people care, when more people are informed, when more people vote. There were some good primary outcomes last week but overall the low turnout is telling us something. And it’s not good.