It was nice to read Michael Misetic’s letter sharing his personal satisfaction when voting for the first time, a decade after he became eligible (“Inaugural vote a 1st step in making a difference,” Voice of the people, March 23). Let’s hope that preachy teachers, activists and editorial writers stop and reflect upon the fact that he waited until he was more mature and truly interested before going to the ballot box.
So often the public is subjected to well-intentioned but not well-thought-out campaigns of “go vote,” “it’s your duty as a citizen” and other pious platitudes. The most ridiculous is “it doesn’t matter how you vote, as long as you vote.” Of course it matters. That’s the whole idea.
The decisions made at an election are far too important to be made by people who have not bothered to inform themselves on the issues and merits of the various candidates. But if they have gone to that trouble, they will show up at the polls on their own.
Someone who shows up at the polls solely out of shame or pressure will not cast an informed vote, and his random actions “fulfilling my duty as a citizen” will simply cancel out the thoughtfully decided vote of someone else. Good for machine politics, but bad for good government.
He might as well traipse through a courthouse, looking in on trials in progress and casting a vote as a visiting juror before moving on to the next courtroom. No one thinks that would be fair in a trial, so why is it fair to the public when selecting officials and deciding public questions?
For good government, it is neither necessary nor desirable that everyone eligible vote–although everyone who wants to should certainly be allowed to. Only those who have spent some time studying the candidates and issues should be actively encouraged to go to the polls.
Far more useful would be for editorial writers to urge people to run for office so informed voters will have a choice at the election.
