Very low/Very lame voter turnout sends a message.

[HomeInspectorBC]

Hello and Happy Wednesday,

Very low/very lame voter turn out indiates that people are fed up, disenfranchised, and tired of being political pawns in policticians self serving chess games. Voter apathy is not a sign that everything is ok, but a sign that the whole process is broken and in need of a major overhaul so that "We the people" can become stakeholders in our own country instead of being outsiders that are constantly being ripped off and let down by our supposed representatives. America is slowly returning to the feudal lord system that we rebelled against over 200 years ago and we are all becoming Papa Serfs and Mama Serfs sering our overlords.

[Dayman]

No, it's a sign that we have too many freaking elections and too many damn offices that should be appointed instead of elected. Two a year = voter fatigue.

[HomeInspectorBC]

Two elections in one year equals voter fatigue? Sound more like a spoiled brat and if your too lazy to push a button well I thnk that speaks volumes for its very lame self. By the way appointing representatives also sounds like the feudal lord system we rebelled against over 200 years ago.

[Moonraker]

Greetings,

I am looking for a website with state by state turn out statistics, or equivalent data.

As of 6:30 PM last night, I was #119 in the 29th Ward, 29th & Girard.

[Politburo]

No one's talking about appointing representatives.

I don't even know what the city commissioners do and why we need 3 of them, and I'm much more politically engaged than the average person (though less so on the city level). OK, I looked it up.. we need to elect people to run the elections? And what do they do the other 10 months out of the year? (Fun fact, they serve a 4 year term but one of those years they abstain from all work because they're running for reelection..). And they have a staff, so it's not like these three people are doing the legwork.

Register of wills? Cmon. It's like out in the suburbs where you see signs for the coroner.

Meaningful elections is what brings people out to the polls, not voting for 30 judges you've never heard of and will likely have no effect on you at all. Having grown up in NJ, I've never understood elected judges and probably never will. It just seems fundamentally wrong to me for a judge to have to run for office, since running for office always involves trading influence. I tend to feel similarly about the sheriff, but that office doesn't seem to have as much decision making power as I understand, but I could certainly be wrong about that.

[robot]

No, it's a sign that we have too many freaking elections and too many damn offices that should be appointed instead of elected. Two a year = voter fatigue.

That and too many races that were uncontested. My counsel district was running unopposed and there was no threat to Nutter. I don't blame anyone who sat this election out. I voted, but I live a block from the polling place and I work from home.

[Insoluble]

Very low/very lame voter turn out indiates that people are fed up, disenfranchised, and tired of being political pawns in policticians self serving chess games.

Agreed that the system is broken, but sadly the perpetually low voter turnout in off elections is rarely interpreted that way by the politicians. Many of them take it as a sign that they won't have to lift a finger or do any significant work while in office since they can just let the political machine work its magic to get re-elected again.

Two elections in one year equals voter fatigue? Sound more like a spoiled brat and if your too lazy to push a button well I thnk that speaks volumes for its very lame self.

It may be lame, but voter apathy is undeniable. What's the solution, other than calling the majority of eligible voters "spoiled brats"?

[CHIOSSO]

Anyone know if the republican vote was up from previous years?

[raider.adam]

Excusing voter apathy because it is so difficult to spend 15 minutes two times a year to vote and to read a news article about where you live occasionally is being overly generous.

[forkiks]

agreed.

people like to make excuses instead of just acknowledging certain things (laziness, apathy, etc)

[Insoluble]

Pointing out the fact that voter apathy exists and speculating as to why so many people chose not to vote is not the same as condoning voter apathy. I suspect that everyone who has bothered to reply to this thread voted yesterday.

So what can be done to combat voter apathy other than b*tching about it on an online forum?

Seems like two of our newly elected City Commissioners at least have this on the radar and plan to take steps to encourage higher voter turnout.

[raider.adam]

Pointing out the fact that voter apathy exists and speculating as to why so many people chose not to vote is not the same as condoning voter apathy. I suspect that everyone who has bothered to reply to this thread voted yesterday.

So what can be done to combat voter apathy other than b*tching about it on an online forum?

During election season, tell your friends and family about candidates you support and why and encourage them to vote.

I am not saying people are condoning voter apathy. I just disagree that voter apathy is the system's fault. Most campaigns aren't big fancy high budget deals like Governor or President.

[Dayman]

Two elections in one year equals voter fatigue? Sound more like a spoiled brat and if your too lazy to push a button well I thnk that speaks volumes for its very lame self. By the way appointing representatives also sounds like the feudal lord system we rebelled against over 200 years ago.

- Two elections every year allows political parties to sneak in candidates, as well as bringing on voter fatigue. Yes, if you have to vote twice every year, it becomes less important. Changing this to every other year would change that.
- Appoint representatives? Nope. Did you vote yesterday? No representatives were up for election. Offices like register of wills could easily be handled by a professional instead of a politician. Judges? I think judges shouldn't be elected. They should be appointed by the executive of the county/state, and approved by the respective legislature. For example, the mayor would appoint a judge and city council would approve or disapprove. Just like the "feudal system" federal justices are part of.
- BTW, if you're anticipating throwing out some inaccurate references to our founding fathers in response, go read Hamilton's Federalist #78 where he writes about the idea of judges serving a term of "good behavior" instead of subject to popular opinion of their decisions. And that idea is part of federal law now.
- Feudalism was dead for a long time in the United Kingdom when we revolted (there is a difference between a rebellion and a revolution) against them. We rebelled because of perceived wrongs (mostly in the form of taxes or levies) on us by the UK, and the UK's response to our refusal to pay those drove us into revolution. And it wasn't in 1811. So get your years straight too.

[Dayman]

Excusing voter apathy because it is so difficult to spend 15 minutes two times a year to vote and to read a news article about where you live occasionally is being overly generous.

Have you met the average person? C'mon Adam.

That and too many races that were uncontested. My counsel district was running unopposed and there was no threat to Nutter. I don't blame anyone who sat this election out. I voted, but I live a block from the polling place and I work from home.

Not to mention that most people just vote straight democratic on everything...

[Winston]

Have you met the average person? C'mon Adam.

"Think of how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that." — George Carlin

[HomeInspectorBC]

No, it's a sign that we have too many freaking elections and too many damn offices that should be appointed instead of elected. Two a year = voter fatigue.

Dayman you question the appoint representatives line when I am quoting you, do you even pay attention to your post? and thanks for the history lesson for whatever reason at least you thought it was important. The average American citizen is disenfranchised and has removed themselves from the current political system as is evidenced by yesterdays Philly mayoral election, out of a voting pool of about 1,134,000 potential voters (18 and over) only about 180,000 showed up roughly 15 percent that means Non-Candidate Apathy won by an overwhelming 85%. Slowly but surely the average American citizen is resembling a serf of earlier European times then an empowered US citizen. I don't buy the voter fatigue argument and guess we will have to agree to disagree. Have a great day.

[Dayman]

Dayman you question the appoint representatives line when I am quoting you, do you even pay attention to your post? and thanks for the history lesson for whatever reason at least you thought it was important. The average American citizen is disenfranchised and has removed themselves from the current political system as is evidenced by yesterdays Philly mayoral election, out of a voting pool of about 1,134,000 potential voters (18 and over) only about 180,000 showed up roughly 15 percent that means Non-Candidate Apathy won by an overwhelming 85%. Slowly but surely the average American citizen is resembling a serf of earlier European times then an empowered US citizen. I don't buy the voter fatigue argument and guess we will have to agree to disagree. Have a great day.

Tell me where I said representatives:

No, it's a sign that we have too many freaking elections and too many damn offices that should be appointed instead of elected. Two a year = voter fatigue.

Serfs have no rights, least of all that to vote. Try less hyperbole and your arguments will be stronger.

[HomeInspectorBC]

No, it's a sign that we have too many freaking elections and too many damn offices that should be appointed instead of elected. Two a year = voter fatigue.

Methinks dayman is being to literal, someone elected to office represents you, hence the use of the word representatives, I think you are thinking of State Reps. If you think that 85% of the eligible voters not voting in a mayoral election is hyberbole then there really is nothing else to discuss. Have a great day unless it is to (voter)fatiguing/taxing.

Slolwy but surely your and mine rights are being eroded hence the use of slowly resembling serfs.

[Dayman]

Methinks dayman is being to literal, someone elected to office represents you, hence the use of the word representatives, I think you are thinking of State Reps. If you think that 85% of the eligible voters not voting is hyberbole then there really is nothing else to discuss. Have a great day unless it is to (voter)fatiguing/taxing.

I said office. And office is a position in the government. Some are elected. Most are appointed. If office = representative (now state reps), then what does a senator hold? I'm only following your logic. I never said reps, and I never said state reps. I don't think legislature should be appointed, there is not a cell in my being that would think that.

Hyperbole is calling non-voters serfs. I think the poor turnout is appalling too, but I'm not surprised because I've taken the time to discern why the turnout is so low.

[HomeInspectorBC]

I thank you for your discernation, and don't follow the equation of calling non-voters serfs but hey maybe I can get another history lesson out of it. Have a great day.