Wonder no more: reasons for voter apathy

“I had always thought, in a democracy — and, again, I don’t know — I’ve only lived in this… “I had always thought, in a democracy — and, again, I don’t know — I’ve only lived in this country — that there’s a process.”

When I first heard Jon Stewart make this comment on CNN’s “Crossfire,” I was stunned by the forwardness of it. It’s the kind of idea that has been kicked around at debate parties and whispered in political theory classes, but no one has ever had the guts to say it in front of a live studio audience on a national television news network.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about voter apathy. I’ve only recently understood the depth of this apathy, because I’ve only recently experienced it for myself. It is often hard to reconcile the idea of the United States I was taught in grade school with the reality I see.

Our democracy leaves a lot of people out in the cold by polarizing every major issue. Anyone whose views don’t fall in flush alignment with either of the two parties is left to decide which of his political values is most important and which can be sacrificed for the sake of exercising his right to vote. I don’t like Bush’s take on healthcare, but I don’t appreciate Kerry’s stance on abortion. So what do I do?

A third party would be an option if Nader weren’t banned from the ballot in Pennsylvania. And besides, everyone knows that the two big bullies will never let anyone else on the playground.

The so-called American democratic system has been hijacked by the “partisan hacks” on both sides of the political spectrum. And the government keeps most of the citizens so busy running that they don’t even notice. They don’t notice the lies and corruption, the little ways that their liberties are being chipped away, until it is too late.

I shudder when I hear Bush talk about the plight of women. I squirm when I hear Kerry talk about how he is going to look out for the middle class, that he understands our pain.

Hey, man, you won’t understand my pain ’til you’ve been the child of two parents who were laid off in the same month. You won’t understand my pain ’til you’ve worried about whether or not your little sister’s medical needs will be met, because your healthcare program won’t cover them. Please, Mr. Rich-Yale-Graduate politician, please don’t tell me that you understand the plight of the sinking middle class.

And they wonder why we are so apathetic, knowing all of this? I can’t help but feel that when I finally do cast my ballot next Tuesday, I will be choosing the lesser of two evils (or, the lesser of two weasels).

Then there is the obvious problem of the Electoral College. You know, we do not actually vote for the man who runs the country and appoints so many other major political officers. Instead, we cast our vote so that it can be tallied and an assigned number of electors from either of the two majority parties can “represent” the majority from our state. Here in Pennsylvania, we go by the winner-takes-all strategy. The theory is that the electors who represent us will do so properly, being faithful to our votes. But only 26 states have laws about this. No one has ever been punished for changing his/her mind in the College and not properly representing the people’s vote, though several electors have done it.

As was displayed so blatantly in the last election, the popular vote does not necessarily correlate to who gets elected, even if the electoral college stays faithful to the voters they represent.

So what’s the point of voting when I know that my vote will not actually count directly for the election of the most powerful office in this country and cannot possibly present my beliefs accurately?

E-mail Ginger McCall at fightingdestiny@gmail.com.