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May 24, 2004 Take a look at the election turnouts for the past four Presidential Elections, starting from 1988: 50.2%, 55.2%, 49%, 54.5%. Always hovering in the low fifties, bouncing back every eight years or so. This should bother people more than it does. When half of the United States turns out to vote, is that truly an accurate representation of the position our country is headed in? When so many Americans choose simply to ignore Election Day in favor of watching the pretty graphics on the nightly news to see who was chosen, does this speak well for our electoral process? Voter turnout in my home state of Indiana in 2000 was 49%, less than half. On that same month forty years ago, turnout was 76%. Twenty years ago? 58%. There is no excuse for this rampant desensitization that I like to call “The Huxleyfication of America.” Politics has been lacking for the past forty years; that is simple to say. It has been edged out of popular opinion by the ever-increasing distractions of television and the internet. During that famous Kennedy and Nixon debate, it is easy to see how television could have worked wonders on inspiring people to get out and vote. As it turns out, that infernal box has become one of their largest reasons not to. All one needs to do is turn on the television to see John Kerry and President George W. Bush trading jabs at each other, flinging mud and dodging for cover behind their walls of P.R. men. If that’s not appealing, I don’t know what is. Nothing draws the attention away from politics quicker than two esteemed political figures acting like children over who gets to sit in the big chair at the end of the day. It could be argued that polling turnouts were higher in 1960 because debates were conducted and the candidates were seen as gentlemen. 2000 proved to all Americans that every single vote matters, that one cannot feel content to sit down and watch The West Wing while the actual department goes up in smoke with the voice of an ever-increasing minority of voters. I do not say that one side is right and one side is wrong politically. Certainly, the Democrats and Republicans each have their strengths and weaknesses, and the fact that these are being wholly ignored – turnout for 2004 is expected around 50% - for the sake of convenience is nothing short of disgusting. Go out and vote in November. It is of the utmost necessity that as many voices as possible be heard, that the President of the United States, Governors, Senators, and Representatives not be chosen by a small minority that has found a way to capitalize on the increasing voter apathy. Huxley feared that entertainment and the media, things we love, would enslave us without Orwellian help. Now I fear he may be right. ------------ About the author: Max Burns lives in Indianapolis and interns with the Indiana Democratic Party. He is the webmaster of The Foaming Liberal and author of the fantasy-fiction novel Alcardia. He is currently a junior at Lawrence North High School and is active in political clubs and associations. Email: MBurns_NS@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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