Do “The People” Exist?
Despite a number of important ballot issues and at least a few open City Council seats in my home town of Houston, voters in Houston and Harris County turned out at only around 10% of registered persons.
Here are some questions I have based on this terrible turnout. They are questions that would apply to any low turnout election—
1. Does a political entity such as a city or a county exist in the most meaningful regard of a shared sense of citizenship when so few people vote? No wonder conditions in Houston are so awful for so many people.
2. Are candidates elected by so few people legitimately elected? Why should office holders not vote the way large donors and more affluent voters wish them to vote, when little counter pressure is exerted by an involved public?
3. Don’t you imagine elected officials hold the public in contempt over such low turnout?
4. If you accept Aristotle’s premise that society existed before the individual, to people delegitimize their very existence by failing to take part in politics? Do “the people” truly exist in a political sense when turnout is so bad?
5. If county and city services would be temporarily suspended unless municipal elections generated at least 75% turnout, do you think people would then vote? I bet a 75% threshold would be met if folks were told police, fire and water service would be stopped until enough people decided they were really part of our society.
The above picture is of people voting in Haiti in 2006. Imagine that people can line up and possibly face violence to vote in a poor place like Haiti, but people in Houston and Harris County and elsewhere in America will not come out and vote.
The British tried that against the upstart American colonies for a while. They withdrew the colonial apparatus of government, expecting that a few weeks without governors and tax collectors would bring those pesky rebels to their knees. That experiment was quickly put to an end when they discovered that the people in the colonies didn’t actually need those governors and tax collectors.
“The People” is just a marketing ploy in the service of various gangs of scam artists, thugs, and thieves. Individuals don’t need government, and I think the recent election results show that they know that, at least unconsciously. Some people think that 80% not voting is apathy. I prefer to think of it as voting for NOTA.
Thank you for your comment.
People do need governors and tax collectors because most people want to live in a society where services are provided and don’t want to live in some kind of Darwin jungle.
For all the government bashing and tax hating over the years, most people, to varying degrees, realize that government and taxes are needed if we are going to live in a decent society.
I find with such strong feelings being expressed on various issues these days. One of the first things I ask is did you vote. If the answer is no then I politely tell them you have no right to complain. In Utah we had a huge vote on school vouchers. It was very heated and a huge amount of money spent on both sides. We actually had the highest voter turnout ever 33% of the registered voters actually turned out to voice their opinion. It was very exciting to see so many people willing to wait over an hour in some places. Just to voice their opinion on just the one issue. The county clerk said that they figured there wasn’t going to be big turnout. So they combined and moved alot of the polling places to save money. As I was walking to the end of the line I was telling people thank you for coming out no matter how you vote. And that it was exciting to see so many people show up.
The legislature was overturned on the issue and it was exciting to see the people speak up. But the sad part was it was still only 33% of the registered voters.
I wish the presidential election was judged on how an individual votes not on the electorial votes. Then the voices would be heard.
Margaret–I have a hard time with friends who do not vote. I’m pretty much to the point where I don’t ask if I think the reply will be no. I get mad at them.
You’re nice and correct to thank people who are voting and to feel that 33% is still a lousy number.
I agree with you about getting rid of the Electoral College. The most votes should win.
Thanks for this well-detailed comment.