Unlike others, I don’t find myself surprised by the low voter turnout. I live in Bradley County. Our total turnout was 9.7 percent. I was, however, shocked by the number of people who said they were unaware there was even an election on Aug. 1.
When asked about the election signs everywhere, the most common response I’ve heard has been, “I thought they were gearing up for November.” I think this is indicative of a growing problem nationally. We don’t focus on what’s happening now. The pundits and talking heads are always focusing on what’s next. Come January, after the inauguration, they’ll immediately start talking about midterms and what’s to come in 2028. In that regard, I can see why people would believe that all the campaigning has been for November. Some people are suffering from political fatigue.
There’s, also, a lack of understanding about the process. There are people who genuinely do not understand there is a primary process. I suspect most people think local and state elections are decided by the November ballot. I’m not sure how to fix this issue. I don’t know if we need better civics education or if potential voters need to know the onus is on them to stay informed.
Apathy plays a big role, too. Some voters are happy with the status quo and the same candidates run cycle after cycle unopposed. If those candidates are going to win by default, some voters might not see the point in primary voting or voting at all. Additionally, most people truly don’t seem to understand that your local and state elections effect policy directly related to their communities. Again, I think part of this can be attributed to the constant discussion of national politics as opposed to state and local.
Other issues I’ve heard is a lack of candidates that represent the values of the voters; as well as the fact that primary voting happens on a Tuesday. Mind you, early voting happens for two weeks prior; but, people seem to not know that, too. I’ve seen suggested solutions that include mandatory mailing of ballots to registered voters; or extending election voting from one day to several.
I’m not saying any of what I’ve written is the answer or solution. I am suggesting that, instead of chastising people for not voting, perhaps we should be looking at why people don’t vote. You’d be surprised at how many times you’ll hear it’s because people think their vote doesn’t matter.
Robbie Nicholson