T wenty- eight months. That’s how long I avoided getting COVID. Forty-two years. That’s how long I’ve participated in the vote. Never missing a primary, general election or other opportunity to have my voice heard on the issues. Until this year. Thanks, COVID.
While my missing last week’s primary election may not have drastically changed the outcome, it changed how I felt about the results. It feels as if the choices were made for me. Like ballot proposals passed or failed without my voice being counted, and the general election choices on the November ballot are now set without my input.
With just 24 percent of voters turning out in Van Buren County (where I live), I guess I had good company in “letting others decide” who will be on the November general election ballot.
If that sounds like dismal turnout, it was better than Berrien County (22.8 percent) and Cass County (22.4 percent) turnout. All three counties were solidly in the bottom quartile as compared with Michigan counties statewide.
Even in Leelanau County, with the highest voter turnout at 42 percent, more voters chose to sit it out than head to the polls to cast their vote.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. With all the election scrutiny of the past two years, the vitriol around processes to ensure all ballots count, I expected a more robust turnout. It comes down to – stated most simply – if you don’t vote, your voice can’t count.
In his paper, “The Foundational Importance of Participation,” professor Joshua Douglas at the University of Kentucky says, “Voting is the foundational concept for our democratic structure. We think of voting as a fundamental – the most fundamental – right in our democracy. When a group of citizens collectively elects its representatives, it affirms the notion that we govern ourselves by free choice. … Voting represents the beginning; everything else in our democracy follows the right to vote. Participation is more than just a value. It is a foundational virtue of our democracy.”
Amen, professor Douglas!
Admittedly, some of the other 76 percent of Van Buren County voters who, like me, did not participate in the Aug. 2 primary could also have been ill. Still others might have had transportation challenges or other access issues. Ensuring fair and open access to the polls for all eligible voters is of high importance.
My ponderings regarding low voter turnout, however, are about those voters who do not have barriers, but rather simply chose to sit on the sidelines.
Chose being the operative term. We’re blessed in this country to have a choice to participate – or not – in a free and open election.
You and I may or may not agree on the issues. What I hope we can agree on is that your vote should count as much as mine.
If you have barriers to participation, check out the resources at your election location to overcome them. The general election will be here before you know it. Don’t wait until November to explore your options.
To find your polling location, learn how to register to vote, or watch a video guide for first-time voters,
visit www.usa.gov/voting.
If you’re an older adult or person with a disability, there are several federal laws that require accessible polling places and protect the voting rights of older Americans and those with disabilities.
Information about voter resources for older Americans and those with disabilities can be found at www.bit.ly/ SeniorVoterInfo.
I for one, will be at the polls in November, barring any rebound bout of COVID. When the results come in, I can know that, at minimum, I did my part to have my voice heard.
See you at the polls.
Christine Vanlandingham is CEO of Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810 or visit areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.