Say What?
October 25, 2009
SAY WHAT? Fewer than 14% Voted! By Mike Cady
Thurmont, Emmitsburg, and Walkersville just completed their municipal elections, and the City of Frederick will hold its general election on November 3. Next year, we will hold county, state and national elections for Congressional seats. Thank you to all who step forward and run for public office (past, present and future). Regardless of the election outcomes, these people are deserving of our gratitude. Also, thank you to our citizens who care enough about our future to vote.
In a “citizen based” elected government, we need highly motivated, intelligent, civic minded, honest and caring people to step forward and (if elected) be willing to put their private lives on hold while serving a greater good. I do not believe our founding fathers intended for our elected leaders to be career politicians. Instead, I think their expectation was that citizens would serve in elected office for a few years, not a lifetime. Now days, as soon as a person is elected, they begin campaigning for the next election by turning into a people pleaser. Often, they lose sight of why they sought public office. This is why I favor term limits from the U.S. Presidency to local elected offices. However, this is a topic for another column. We are a “Republic”, which means our elected leaders represent the values of the population they serve, or do they?
The sad reality about our election process is that approximately 70% of Frederick County residents eligible to vote are registered. And, in 2006 (a Presidential Election year), 83% of those registered went to the polls. This statistic may impress you, but it should not. If my math is correct, that means 58% of our eligible voters decided who will represent us at the county, state and national levels. In a non-Presidential election year (like next year), the voter turnout is historically about 60% (e.g. 42% determine our future). According to Stuart Harvey (Director of Frederick County Board of Elections), the voter turnout nationwide at municipal elections is about 20% of registered voters. In the most recent elections held in Thurmont, the voter turn out was even less. Thus, fewer than 14% of the eligible voters in Thurmont determined who will lead the town until the next election is held. My greatest fear for our country is that eligible voters are becoming more complacent in exercising their right to vote, a right fought for and guaranteed through the shedding of blood by millions of Americans.
Consequently, we have a potentially shrinking group of citizens determining who will lead us into the future. And, if as few as 14% of our neighbors is determining who will make critical decisions on every aspect of our lives was not enough of a concern, let us consider the question, who is prepared to govern? As a County Commissioner, I was ill-prepared to make finite decisions over a broad range of subjects that included, but not limited to, land management, property rights, education, public finance, taxes, law enforcement, fire & rescue, infrastructure, social services, public health, utilities, solid waste management, parks, tourism, economic development … The truth is, no one possesses expertise on all of these topics and, therefore, our elected officials are highly dependent on professional staff and us (the constituents they collectively serve) for guidance.
Not only do we have a responsibility to vote for the people who demonstrate the most potential to live up to our expectations, but we have an equal responsibility to communicate with them while they serve in public office. Our elected leaders need and (most of them) want to know how we feel on subjects so they can better represent us. It is not nearly enough to have a dialogue in and around election time. The conversation must be ongoing to balance the input our elected leaders receive from special interest groups. And, when offering your views, please be respectful (if not for the elected person, then for the position they hold). Likewise, the professional staff that we (the taxpayers) employ are deserving of courteous treatment.
Why would anybody in their right mind run for public office? From personal experience, I can tell you that the hours are long, the learning curve is steep and fast paced, the issues are complex, the special interest groups are relentless, the citizen’s views are widely diverse, the pay is far less than what you might otherwise earn, and there is plenty of unpleasantness to go around. Despite what some may think, it is not an ego trip for most of our elected leaders. The people I know in public office and those with whom I served deeply care about the outcomes of their decisions. True, we had some extremely nasty sessions and there were deeply hurt feelings, but each of us thought we were doing what was right for the people we represent.
The real deterrent for qualified people to step up and run for public office is not how your elected colleagues treat you, but the manner in which you are targeted by both the media and some sections of the public. Make no mistake, how the media portrays an elected official dramatically impacts on their ability to govern. Likewise, the disrespectful, cruel and illegal actions of a few who oppose your position on specific issues are difficult to ignore. For example, while I was in office, my home was vandalized multiple times, my vehicles keyed and tires punctured, my family members verbally abused and the disgracefully vulgar e-mails received were way over the top.
So, the next time you see or address an elected official, thank them for the courage to run for office and the job being done (even if you disagree with them on a specific issue) and be respectful of the office they hold. Think about it, if our most qualified neighbors are unwilling to serve a spell, who will then lead us?
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