November 11, 2004

EDITORIAL

Help democracy work

Last week’s election left Republicans ecstatic and Democrats mourning. Regardless of whether your guy won or lost, Americans who voted on Nov. 2 should take pride in participating in the election, which saw record turnout. The election showed that the American people do care about democracy, that voter apathy does not have to be the norm in politics.

An analysis of the election by the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, a Washington, D.C.,-based, nonpartisan research institution specializing in issues of citizen engagement in politics, reported that an estimated 120 million Americans cast ballots for president, a 59.6 turnout rate among eligible voters, the highest rate since 1968 when 61.9 percent participated in the election. Nearly 15 million more Americans voted last week than in the 2000 presidential election. The committee reported that in Ohio, 5,478,202 ballots were cast in the 2004 presidential race, a turnout rate of 64.56 percent of eligible voters. CNN reported on its Web site that 11 percent of voters were casting a ballot for the first time last week.

The Greene County Board of Elections reported that out of 105,079 registered voters in the county, 77,830 participated in the election, a 74 percent turnout rate. In Yellow Springs, the number was slightly higher: 75.55 percent of registered voters in the village went to the polls. Out of the village’s 3,494 registered voters, 2,640 cast ballots. In Miami Township, 798 people went to the polls, out of 970 registered voters, or 82 percent. As Yellow Springs resident Ken Huber points out in his letter to the editor, which is published on this page, the percentage of voters who cast ballots is likely higher when the number of eligible voters is considered.

These figures for voter turnout are impressive, showing that a majority of the electorate was engaged in the presidential election. Some were motivated to get President George W. Bush out of the White House, while others were determined to help Washington’s most famous resident stick around for another four years. In the end, both the Republicans and Democrats spent an enormous amount of energy working for get-out-the-vote efforts. One side just got it out better.

Now that the election is over, however, Americans must not slip into hibernation for another four years. Indeed, if voters want to continue to make a difference in this society, they must stay in engaged, whether their interests lie in national and local political movements or community activities. In Yellow Springs, people have myriad opportunities to get involved, from running for a locally elected position (which will happen next year when voters choose candidates for Village Council, school board and Miami Township trustee) to volunteering for a community-based organization to attending civic meetings.

Voting makes democracy work. But it can only be successful if Americans express themselves at the ballot box, in their communities and regularly throughout their daily lives.

—Robert Mihalek