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A week ago Scott posted a 1500 word analysis of the mountain I have invited others to climb with me. As usual, he provided many useful insights that should help us to navigate this climb successfully. After having a week to begin to digest his analysis I am finally ready to begin to address some of the issues he raised. Before I do so I would like to make it clear that I never believed that this would be a simple undertaking and I hope that nobody else thinks so either.
Scott begins his analysis by addressing the question of what causes voter apathy. I saw 3 factors in his analysis that contribute to higher voter apathy in Utah: age – the propensity for people under 25 to generally not be active in politics combined with Utah having a higher percentage of younger voters among our population; a consistent supermajority – incentive goes down whether there is no hope of winning or virtually no chance of losing; and lack of adequate information. There is little we can do about age except to reach out to young people and encourage them to be informed and involved. (It was the questions of my teenage neice that finally pushed me into taking some action.) The consistent supermajority in this state makes it so that I am more inclined to vote for Democratic candidates than Republican candidates. I will only vote for candidates I can support based on their positions and qualifications, but if both parties offer such a candidate I will go with the Democrat every time. The lack of adequate information is what this group is most directly hoping to address which is why it cannot afford to be limited to a website and a blog-cloud. We need to do things that will catch the attention of all citizens whether they use the internet actively or not. The information that we provide must be information from candidates for voter consumption as well as information from voters for use by candidates and elected officials.
Scott also identifies the obstacles we face such as lack of time in our busy world and the challenges of organizing diverse people. Scott points out the potential for duplicating the efforts of other groups such as Project Vote Smart (PVS) and The League of Women Voters. These are very real issues to consider. My goal has been to minimize the demands that we make of those who participate and find ways to get maximum benefit from those things we do ask of them. A good example of such an approach is Downsize D.C. which has made it very easy for people to participate in politics by providing information on the subjects they are trying to address and allowing people to write to their senators and representatives with one link. (Click the link, add your personal comments and click "Send" to deliver messages to all your legislative leaders at once.) By working in tandem with existing groups such as those listed above we can have a greater impact in our initial efforts. One difference I see between what I hope to accomplish and what PVS is trying to do is that I want to focus on our one small state. I believe that the nationwide efforts of PVS help to perpetuate the top first mentality that is a root of many of our problems. I would encourage anyone who is so inclined to support and assist the efforts of PVS but their focus should not be confused with what I hope to develop.
Anything But Neutral should focus on gathering information from candidates here in Utah and sharing that information as widely as possible As much as possible, let the candidates speak for themselves and encourage them to speak about issues rather than getting too focused on parties, associations, and opponent bashing that pervade national politics. This is why I called for people to ask questions of the candidates locally and post their answers before election day. I know we’re pretty late this cycle, but hopefully we can do something now just to get some momentum before we enter the post-election burnout period. After election day I will quickly share my ideas of how we can make a difference in our political process between elections – hopefully without burdening our already busy lives too heavily.
I wholeheartedly agree with Scott’s conclusion:
I encourage others to get involved and help in this effort. But let’s not delude ourselves. We are fighting against significant disincentives to political involvement. Simply providing information and discussion isn’t going to overcome that.
9 replies on “Climbing the Mountain”
Kudos. A great start to something important.
My favorite part about this start so far has been the encouragement and ideas that people have shared with me publicly and privately in support of this idea.
Interesting analysis as usual. I think alot of us liberals often feel so disenfranchised that we give up and don’t participate out of futility. My vote has not counted in Utah since I have voted, starting in 1980 when I voted for John Anderson.
My subsequent picks have been:
Walter Mondale
Michael Dukaikis
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
John Kerry
and this year
Barack Obama
My vote means nothing on the most important position that affects us all. Should I feel disenfranchised because I reside with people who see the world fundamentally different from myself? How does one remain engaged when all they see are defeats.
I have also yet to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate who has succeeded. Why do I keep on plugging away? I sometimes wonder. Perhaps the failure is mine, to convince others of the value of my position. I’ve certainly given it my best attempt, but the obstacles seem overwhelming at times. I often feel like a spawning salmon trying not to swim up a river, but up niagra falls.
But anyway, I will not be discouraged. I will express my opinion whether my ideas take root or whither helplessly on the rocks of ignorance.
Anyway, David, I appreciated your post.
Best regards.
How about local and state elections Obi wan? I’m sure you still feel like you are swimming upstream most of the time, but do you feel that your voice is heard in any of those races?
Whether I vote with the majority or the minority on presidential elections (I’ve done both) I always feel that my vote has no meaning at that level because I don’t live in Florida, Ohio, Missouri (well, I did for a while), or any of the other perpetual “battleground states.”
Admittedly, in local races, I tend to cross party lines with more frequency, as I don’t see zoning issues as necessarily partisan. I value competence rather than a loyalty to ideology. So yeah, I do periodiodically find myself on the prevailing side. But the higher up the ticket I get, the more irrelevant I am as a citizen.
I have the same feeling about mattering less and less the higher up the ticket I go. In fact, I find it tempting to ignore the races for Senator, Governor, and President. It’s not that those races are unimportant, but not only is my vote worth very little in those races, but my voice is completely ignored once the elections are over in those races (actually, I have received occasional responses from our senators).
I think that our collective belief that the highest races are the most important is one of the factors that contributes to the mission creep of the federal government.
“I think alot of us liberals often feel so disenfranchised that we give up and don’t participate out of futility.”
I agree- usually by this point in an election, I feel so discouraged that it’s hard to even work up the energy to talk to anyone about why I am voting the way I am.
This year I have a little hope. Not much, but maybe enough to keep trying for a couple more weeks.
I understand the disenfranchisement thing. This year (yes, I’ve already voted) I ended up writing in names in some races. I know that means nothing when it comes to tallying up who wins and who loses, but I at least feel that I voted my conscience.
Once you cut through the “wasting your vote” fallacy I see no reason why anyone would ever vote for a major party candidate that they did not honestly feel they could support (as opposed to simply tolerate).