Election Turnout
* In “Will Low Turnout Favor ‘No’?” (Opinion, Oct. 11), Steve Scott is interested in forecasting the likely impact of low voter turnout on the various November ballot initiatives. Yet in doing so, Scott offers a disturbing and disparaging portrait of the California electorate.
According to Scott, when turnout is low “voters tend to be more discriminating toward initiatives.” Conversely, a higher turnout results in “a more emotional electorate.” Given the choice posed by Scott, which electorate would we rather have? An electorate that carefully analyzes each initiative or an electorate that lets emotion triumph over reason in its evaluation? It’s a false choice, since Scott provides absolutely no systematic empirical evidence to substantiate such an assessment. At a time when voter turnout continues to decline in California and across the nation, Scott’s analysis manages to turn nonvoting--especially by “more emotional” citizens--into a virtue. This is surely the wrong message to send to prospective voters.
MARK P. PETRACCA
Irvine
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