Local Results
Okaloosa County Results: Only 28.4% of registered voters could be bothered to make it to the polls, worse, only 21.5% of Democrats made the effort as compared to 34.9% of Republicans.
The big reason for Republicans to go to the polls seemed to be the primary race for School Superintendent.
Cruella de Harris received almost as many votes in her primary in this county as Charlie Crist did for governor, not a good sign, as it reflects a dissatisfaction with the party. Remember the party regulars were pitching “anyone but Harris”.
Without the Superintendent’s race and tax proposal it would have been worse. A sad commentary on democracy.
4 comments
Very sad, and it’s no better here.
I still think we ought to sell tickets to vote; people would line up for miles.
The polls are open for 12 hours and there are a lot of precincts so that most people could walk to their polling station if they were reasonably fit. There is early voting for people who might be occupied on election day, or absentee ballots if that is a problem.
People just don’t care, and we are all paying the price.
Regrettable. I recall reading once years ago that Australia fines people for not voting, some very nominal fine, but a symbolic statement that voting is an obligation. In America, of course, imposing such a fine would be an infringement on our freedom to make a statement by voting or refusing to vote. But the idea has its appeal.
As one who rather proselytizes about voting, I’ve heard the gamut of answers when I urge people to vote. “It makes no difference if I vote or not.” “Don’t vote; it only encourages them.” One otherwise bright fellow said to me that he was apolitical, a “citizen of the world” … as if he could be both of those things simultaneously. Not in my world.
I regret that there have been elections in my life in which I could have voted but did not. In the enthusiasm of my youth, I always voted. In the desperation of my past 25 years, from about Reagan forward, I’ve always voted. What happened in between I cannot explain. Even then, I voted in major federal elections. But I can’t help wondering if matters would be better if a lot of people like me, people who slacked off voting for part of their lives, had gone to the polls every time they were eligible.
BTW, if you live in Harris County, TX, I can and will register you to vote, no matter what your political views or party affiliation. C’mon, Houstonians, what have you got to lose? Especially compared to what you’ll lose if you and a lot of others don’t vote, what have you got to lose?
The Republicans who didn’t vote got stuck with Harris as their candidate in the biggest Federal election this year. That isn’t good for anyone.