Two days ago, West Virginia held its primary election. I walked into my polling place at around 5 p.m. and, when I asked if they had been busy, I was told that I was number 77.
Seriously. They had been open for almost 12 hours and I was number 77. Of course, it was the primary and people seem to think that it’s not that important. I guess if you have to be apathetic about an election then the primary is the best one to do so, but still.
Why do we not vote?
My county recorded a 40 percent voter turnout. That number almost seems unbelievable to me. Only 40 percent of registered voters bothered to show up at the polls. Do you know what that did? It erased a lot of the hopefuls’ chances who were running.
Voters in Wheeling did elect the first out trans person in states history, which happened to be for a city council race. But check this out: right now it appears she won that race by 15 votes. Fifteen. 10+5=15. You know how “they” say that every vote counts? Well, it sure did in the local races.
A local House of Delegates race was decided by 38 votes! We can all name 38 people off the top of our heads without even thinking about it, and yet that was the magic number in a state-level race. Those offices are the ones who write the laws that govern every aspect of our lives! And 38 people had the final say.
The Statistical Story
When it comes to election results, I would be interested in seeing the data. Take the city council race above. Who voted? How did a person come into a neighborhood that is so tied to its roots and apparently beat out a woman with a last name that is widely recognized in that community? The winner isn’t from that neighborhood. She also ran in the historically black community, and she is white. Who voted for her there? Were they new voters? Young? Tied to the neighborhood or just moved there? I want to see that data.
We have to start looking into what motivates people to get to the polls and what makes people sit it out. When you look at the Bernie Sanders’ campaign, he had a fantastic record for filling his rallies with young people, but they didn’t show up to the polls to support him. Where is the disconnect?
I realize that COVID-19 was named as a reason for the low turnout, but I’ve only waited in line one time to vote since my first go at the age of 18 (that was 30 years ago, by the way), and that was for the 2016 presidential election. I stood in line for quite a while that day to cast my vote and couldn’t believe there was a line. I imagine it will be much the same this November, four years later, but we have to start now to develop a strategy for voter engagement in four years.
It’s Our Right
How do we get people to understand what the roles of each office are, especially the local ones? Would that help to motivate them to vote? Because 15 votes between the winner and the loser is a little too close for comfort for me. And today I read a few posts by people who were crushed because their choice for governor didn’t make the cut. Their solution was to just not vote in November for the gubernatorial race.
Are you serious? Why would y’all not vote for governor? That seems like irresponsible civic engagement to me.
In light of the state of our nation right now and with everything that is taking place within our state and local communities due to the coronavirus, I think it’s more important than ever to get out there and vote. When it comes to seeking racial justice, we need elected officials who understand what that means. When it comes to improving public education, we need to elect people who have the ability to acknowledge and understand all of the shortcomings and successes. We need to know who and why the county commissioner position is so important. What do they do? Who do they answer to or who answers to them? We have to do better!
I’ve been told throughout my life that men and women have given their lives to protect my freedom, and our opportunity to vote is one of the highest levels of responsibility for us. So, when are we going to take advantage of the opportunity and use our one shot to speak up on behalf of ourselves and our needs as a member of our community? Maybe I’ll invite 15 of my closest friends to head to the polls with me in November.
Get motivated. Get engaged. Get off your butts and vote in November.
Onward,
Amy Jo
