Thanksgiving Day, 1980. The Chicago Bears are marching down the field late in the fourth quarter against my hometown Detroit Lions. Our defense is helpless to stop them. Suddenly, my Aunt Sue – my grandmother’s sister – yells out “Why don’t they put in Billy Sims!?!”
Well, Aunt Sue, Billy Sims is a running back. He doesn’t play defense.
Clearly, no one would ever want my Aunt Sue calling plays for the Lions – or any team for that matter. But just twenty-three days earlier she cast her vote in that year’s presidential election. Unfortunately, her knowledge of the issues was comparable to what she knew about football. But whereas her involvement in choosing plays from the sideline would be seen as a disaster, somehow her vote is seen as a triumph of democracy.
I don’t get that. It’s never bothered me that nearly fifty percent of our eligible voters neglect to turn up at the polls. They just might vote for Billy Sims.
Don’t get me wrong, every adult citizen of the United States should be entitled and encouraged to participate in our democratic process. I’m quite sure I’ll choke up standing in line to vote next Tuesday. There is something special about a presidential election, as our diverse electorate – young and old, black and white, rich and poor, professional and working class – go about the business of choosing who will hold the most powerful position on this planet.
It is the elegant irony of democracy. You and I – everyday people in everyday lives, so often made to feel so powerless – hold the reins to the presidency in our hands. Yet, part of the elegance lies in the fact that while one may vote, one doesn’t have to. That fact serves democracy well, for it weeds out those who either do not understand or do not care enough to cast an informed vote.
An uninformed or ill-informed vote serves no one. At best, it’s based upon sound bite advertising. At worst, it’s a game of eenie-meenie-miney-moe. I’m sorry, but I want a little more thought behind the selection of the leader of the free world.
In an election as close as this year’s promises to be, however, it will likely be those “close-your-eyes-and-punch-a-chad” votes that will make the difference. Should that make us feel better about democracy? Probably not. In fact, it’s probably going to land us back in court again this year.
Parenthetically, that leads to my one prediction for the upcoming election – thanks to the almost inevitable litigation we can expect, come the morning of Wednesday, November 3rd we will not know who the next president will be. But I digress.
There are lots of reasons people choose not to vote. Some don’t believe their vote will make a difference. If the last election did not dispel that notion, nothing will. They should vote. Some find it hard for various reasons – illness, mobility, transportation, etc. – to get to the polls. We rightfully make it easier for them to vote. But some just don’t care. Let them stay home.
I’ve often joked that it’s no problem that fifty percent of the population stays home on election day because half the population are clueless. We just have to hope the right half stays home. Ok, so it’s not the world’s greatest joke, but then again, fifty percent turnout isn’t the world’s greatest problem.
[Footnote: We did not know who had won the presidency when we woke up on November 3, 2004. It took a while for Ohio to sort out its own mess.]
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