Are you better off for not voting?

Gazette Editorial Board

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We keep trying to encourage more voter participation in local elections. Perhaps many of you are sick of us harping on it.

Our columnists and Gazette Editorial Board members, Jennifer Hemmingsen and Todd Dorman, turned in their latest efforts in Sunday's edition. Dorman has a follow-up today, and then, of course, there's this editorial reminder from the board as a whole.

Nonetheless, it's likely that no more than 1 in 4 registered voters will cast a ballot in today's municipal elections in many or most Eastern Iowa communities - even in Cedar Rapids where there is a big field of candidates for City Council and mayor and a sales tax extension proposal on the ballot that affects everyone. Or in Coralville, where there are especially interesting races debating differing philosophies about the city's debt and development practices.

In fact, 30 percent turnout might be regarded as “good” for many local city elections. School elections have generally been even worse, with turnouts often in the single digits.

Blame for such disengagement is spread in many directions. Too much, or too little, news media coverage. Political advertising fatigue. Trickle-down disgust with the ongoing gridlock at the federal level. Little confidence or trust that the outcome makes any difference. Things are OK as is. Too many people too busy with life to bother studying and making choices. Too many elections.

All of the above likely have an effect. And others.

But we're not going to stop encouraging or cajoling voters, or working to do our job better. It's simply too important, for reasons that are obvious.

At some point, hopefully starting today, voters should at least ask themselves: Are all the reasons and excuses to not vote making our communities better or worse overall?

l Comments: editorial@thegazette.com