Column for Nov. 8, 2007

To vote or not to vote

I was asked to write a commentary for a popular Triangle area web site about elections in general. Since by the time that this column is published, the municipal elections will have taken place, I figured it was safe to talk about the topic. I want to first take the time to thank everyone who voted in the election, regardless of for whom you voted, even if some people will always vote amiss, in my humble yet always most accurate opinion. You are the people who keep our republican form of government working. I don't care who is running or what the ballot initiatives (referendums) are to be voted upon, I am thankful for people who actually vote.

I was talking with an internet video producer and writer about voting, and as usual, ol' "ask me my opinion and you are bound to get it" Troy gave it. She then asked me to share those sentiments with her readers. I agreed, but I also wanted to hold off until I could fulfill my primary obligation to my own readers first. As a result of that discussion as well as a subsequent discussion with a candidate in a Johnston County municipal election, I figured I would punch some keys on the old IBM Net Vista (yup, I still have an oldie but a goodie).

Two years ago in the Selma election, there were, according to the Johnston County Board of Elections, there were 2853 registered voters in the town. That is almost 42% of the population. Only 22% of those registered voters actually showed up to the polls to cast ballots. That means that less than ten percent of the total population of the town actually decided the town's leadership. Does that strike anyone besides me as a sad statistic? Only time will tell the final totals this year.

When I compare this to the images we all saw in 2005 in the first genuinely free election in Iraq's history, I about weep. Regardless of your stance on the war in Iraq, the fact is that the first free election there was held just two years ago. Iraq had a 79.6% voter turn out. In Selma, less than 10%. 12.3 million people in Iraq walked for miles, stood in line for hours, and cast votes under the threat of death from insurgency groups opposing the election process and freedom itself. Despite the obstacles, millions of voters walked out of polling places with a purple inked finger, a sign that they had actually voted in their election. Why, in the most free nation on God's green Earth, do we have such a disparity of participation by comparison? Is it apathy? Is it the malaise of cynicism? I really can not answer that one, since I have voted in every election for which I have been qualified to vote since coming of legal age to do so.

Something I have commented upon for years is the total lack of accountability of the precious few votes that are cast. By that I mean that one does not have to prove identity in order to vote. In some areas of the country, dead people have voted for years. In other areas, people who are not citizens have been voting. Some people vote more than once. If one is not required to show identification to prove who is voting, someone can literally take your vote away from you by impersonating you. Someone I spoke with just last week decried this very thing when performing early voting at the Board of Elections office. No ID was required. That means that anyone who just came across the Rio Grande can possibly vote in our elections.

Of course some group like the ACLU would claim some esoteric form of discrimination if we did the obviously sensible thing and required people to prove their identity when exercising such a sacred right, nay, duty. Not only should we not be glib about taking our right to vote seriously, we should be vigilant about protecting the process from those who would perniciously violate it. We must protect the process and the right to vote. We must also shake off apathy and paradigms and actually participate in our electoral process.

I know, you are wondering why I would write this for publication just after an election. I am not late for the recent election, I am merely early for the upcoming primaries in just a few months. I can never remind people too much or too often.