Editorial: Worst voter turnout in 72 years
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Nov. 11, 2014, New York Times.
The abysmally low turnout in last week’s midterm elections — the lowest in more than seven decades — was bad for Democrats, but it was even worse for democracy. In 43 states, less than half the eligible population bothered to vote, and no state broke 60 percent.
In the three largest states — California, Texas and New York — less than a third of the eligible population voted. New York’s turnout was a shameful 28.8 percent, the fourth-lowest in the country, despite three statewide races (including the governor) and 27 House races.
Over all, the national turnout was 36.3 percent; only the 1942 federal election had a lower participation rate at 33.9 percent. The reasons are apathy, anger and frustration at the relentlessly negative tone of the campaigns.
Republicans ran a single-theme campaign of pure opposition to President Obama, and Democrats were too afraid of the backlash to put forward plans to revive the economy or to point out significant achievements of the last six years. Neither party gave voters an affirmative reason to show up at the polls.
It is very sad that so many people do not VALUE their right and responsibility to vote. People from other countries are breaking into the US because they have no rights. Maybe the lessons about the right & responsibility to vote should be enhanced in our schools – one vote can make a difference.
Depressingly familiar.
“Every nation gets the government it deserves.” Joseph de Maistre
The GOP agenda: An unhealthy, uneducated, non-voting populace.
Maybe it’s because the country is finally fed up with all the politicians. They dribble some brown out of their mouths and say this and that. When it comes down to the real deal, they do what the hell they want for their own power hungry agenda.
Cali-lib-Mexico and it’s senile Gov. is the poster child of lunacy.
Any details on the number of just South Lake Tahoe voters?
When will the City Council vote be finalized?
I believe the new council is seated in December.
“Was bad for Democrats but it was even worse for democracy.” Only a drugged out totalitarian could arrive at that erroneous, nonsensical, and illogical conclusion. In a democracy you have a choice of voting or not, unlike Russia or China or Iran where 99.8% of the population vote for the next dictator.
The extremely parochial and biased New York Times got it all wrong again in their typical grossly dishonest and opinionated slobber as they lead the charge in the ueber liberal hatred of America.
They won’t rest until our democracy is entirely dictated to by the far left.
In reality (that leaves the NYT out) our fragile democracy was saved by the trouncing of the extreme far left authoritarians.
Fortunately too many Americans (legal voters) are scared to death of our budding dictatorial president and his democratic minions and voted accordingly.
A few years back the wackos were telling us we were running out of oil (peak oil) and now the dictatorials are frantically screaming we are running out of democracy as their chosen candidates were soundly defeated.
There is a rumor out there that every morning all employees of the NYT get down on their hands and knees and face Berlin as they pay homage to their hero Josef Goebbels.
Don’t ever forget Jonathan Gruber’s now infamous Freudian slip that the citizens are too stupid to govern themselves.
Mel, that quote is very fitting.
Legal. Thanks for your opinion. Wow.
The defeated liberals need a blame and invented a number of things as it could not
be their “Dope and Mange” President. His pathetic no-show AWOL golf course life or the incompetent leadership, scandal after scandal, and illegal actions against the people and violations of the law.
Next election maybe their voters will be given a free Bummer phone for voting as this time the pictures of lynching’s didn’t work.
“Only a drugged out totalitarian could arrive at that erroneous, nonsensical, and illogical conclusion.”
I can’t wait to read your break down of the logic and that should follow such a scathing review. This should be fun.
{blah blah blah, hyperbole, blah blah]
Ahh here we go.
“There is a rumor out there that every morning all employees of the NYT get down on their hands and knees and face Berlin as they pay homage to their hero Josef Goebbels.”
In summary; the NYT are Nazis, the NYT are liberals, Nazis are bad, thus the NYT is bad and all liberals are bad.
Standard conservative logic.
Beagles are known to be one of the smartest dogs. However, they are stubborn and loud and don’t listen well. The poodle is the smartest dog and it has a good temperament. The poodle bites, the poodle chews it.
It is indeed sad hearing the dismal voter turnout numbers. That said, this article is quite prejudice and slanted, as most NYT articles and viewpoints always are. Grab your salt shaker and use it “liberally”. :)
People who don’t care enough to vote, don’t care enough to educate themselves well enough on the issues anyway.
I’d rather that those who don’t know, and don’t care, do not vote. They have no business being able to determine the futures of those who DO make the effort to understand the issues and the candidates’ positions.
The lack of voters doesn’t mean that those who are elected are a bad choice; it just means that the American people don’t give a damn anymore. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate.