Sunday, May 18, 2008
Editorial: November elections won't end apathy
Radford should change the date, but the city must also reach out to voters.
From the RoundTable blog
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About one in eight of Radford's registered voters showed up at the polls earlier this month. Some civic leaders believe the city could encourage greater turnout by moving municipal elections to November.
They are probably right, but they must also address the public's underlying apathy if they want Election Day numbers to represent informed participation.
Thirteen percent turnout is pathetic; there is no getting around that. Too many Radford voters this month abdicated their most important civic duty. They cared so little about who sets tax rates, spends the revenue and runs the schools that they did not make it to the voting booth.
Mayor Tom Starnes and others think moving the election date is the answer. November elections historically have higher turnout in part because the ballot is more crowded already. Even years feature national elections and odd years feature state elections.
Blacksburg recently decided to move its town elections to November of odd years, and Radford should follow that lead.
Almost certainly if Radford moves its municipal elections, more people would vote in them.
Yet that would address only a symptom of the problem. If citizens remain disengaged from their local government, the city would not gain much from greater turnout.
The council cannot make citizens care about government, but it can help them understand that what happens at city hall and at school board meetings affects their lives, their pocketbooks and the quality of life in Radford.
Relative to many communities, Radford already does a good job making information available, but it must reach out even more. Community forums, mailings and guest opinion pieces in local publications are all options to inform the public.
Generating turnout for its own sake is not the solution. Perhaps people are hopelessly blasé about local government. We like to believe that is not the case. It will take a bit more work by council to find out for sure.
