ith the calendar saying mid-July and the temperature hovering near 90 degrees, our thoughts obviously turn to … politics.
Well, maybe not. Yet it is, indeed, election season. Ballots go out today for Washington’s Aug. 4 vote-by-mail primary election, giving voters about two weeks to study the issues and the candidates, fill out their ballots and return those ballots to election officials. That doesn’t sound very difficult, and yet relatively few people can be bothered with voting these days.
This, of course, is a frequent lament of people concerned about public discourse and civic engagement and the betterment of our communities. Voter apathy has been a growing concern that has led to much hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing among those who feel that exercising your right to vote is a civic duty.
November’s midterm elections saw 53 percent of registered voters in Washington bother to turn in their ballots. This is disconcerting considering the ease of vote-by-mail elections; considering that many states throughout the country have enacted laws that make voting more difficult; and considering that people in this country have fought and died over the centuries for the right to vote.
Last year’s participation was so shameful that a headline in The Seattle Times noted, “Washington midterm turnout lowest since disco era,” with the story noting: “Turnout was even lamer by the broader measure of participation by the voting-age population. About 39 percent of adults 18 and older voted in the midterm, based on state population estimates. About a quarter of adults in the state were not registered to vote as of 2012.” And in Clark County, voter turnout annually ranks among the lowest in the state.
So, lament we shall. We feel that it is important for citizens to be well-versed on the issues and to express their opinions at the ballot box. At the same time, the right to not vote also is inviolate and represents in itself a form of political expression. But, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt is credited with saying: “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves, and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
As the process has been simplified through vote-by-mail, the ability of voters to be well-informed also has been made easier. The Internet allows the electorate to examine the views and the backgrounds of the candidates, and offers a wide range of opinions of the issues. Columbian.com provides a vast store of articles about various political races and also contains videos of the newspaper’s Editorial Board interviews of candidates.
All of that can be helpful in primary elections that contain anywhere from three to seven candidates for a single office. In Washington, the top two vote-getters in each primary race will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, regardless of party affiliation. With that in mind, The Columbian has made the following recommendations:
• Clark County Chair: Jeanne Stewart, Republican; Mike Dalesandro, Democrat.
• Clark County Council, District 2: Julie Olson, Republican; Chuck Green, Democrat.
• Vancouver City Council, Position 5: Linda Glover; Ty Stober.
• Port of Vancouver Commissioner, Position 2: Eric LaBrant; Nick Ande.
Those are merely recommendations designed to foster discussion. Voters have the choice of whether or not to examine the issues and vote their conscious, and we suggest that they do just that. After all, ’tis the season for an election.
