>>>How does one go about arranging low voter turnout? Anything is possible, but it sounds more like disgruntled conjecture.<<<
Indeed, "disgruntled conjecture," itself, can lead to non-voting. Part and parcel of dumbing down America, invoking the frustraton: Ah, what's the use? They're all a bunch of crooks--why should I waste my time and vote for them?
In a national election, only about 50 percent vote, meaning between 25-30 percent of our citizens will elect our president; in state elections about half of 33 percent of those who vote will be ballots going to elect governors, senators and members of congress; in local elections, half of the 16 percent who vote elect those leaders.
Now, the above paragraph are beat statistics. They shouldn't exist like that. But they do. Bush's reelection as governor didn't even meet the normal voting pattern described above.
In fact, it's so bad, Cheney didn't even vote for Bush in Texas when he could have. Cheney, like many Americans, voted only twice during the past 16 elections.
Most other countries where there is democracy, see voter turnout 70 percent or better.
Generally what happens is the respective politician nails down his or her three bread and butter issues (abortion, gun control, crime and drugs, etc.); nails down the party base and then, using the big money, attempts to manipulate the elderly vote (the percentage of folks who vote in highest numbers) and guess what? They get elected over and over and over. People become disenfranchised with the system of election and do not participate.
Every now and then excitement rings, such as in the election of Jesse Ventura. How'd Ventura do it? Initially during his candidacy he was polling only in single digits. But he won the election? How? His presence within the Minnesota debates made a strong case for his candidacy. His issues went beyond the typical politician's dietary menu for voters. Yes, voters sensed meaningful change in him, and got behind him and his popularity rose.
But, overall, as in the case with Bush's election in Texas, it's hard to topple Big Money, 'cause it can be used so effectively to tweak votes among a small base of voters. |
