[Mpls] Apathy Wins

[Laura and lloyd]

On Thursday, November 10, 2005, at 11:25  AM, Leurquin, Ronald wrote:

> What I wonder is what is the reason so many people are not voting.
> I hear a lot of opinions on why, and god only knows I have my own ideas
> and opinions.

I think voters do not vote because they do not have sufficient 
motivation to do so. I would not call that apathy. I would not give it 
any sort of label. I really like the Kid Vote idea. My grandchildren 
voted Tuesday and got up at 6 am to get ready to be there when the 
polls opened. They were excited. Of course I had taken them on lit 
drops and they did their part in asking people to come out and vote in 
the primary and general election.

I've spoken to perhaps hundreds of people who got sort of vague when I 
asked them if they planned on voting this year. I did my best to give 
great reasons for voting and I'm sure I succeeded with some. But with 
some, I could still see a hesitancy after we talked. It is not a lack 
of concern about who gets elected. It isn't fear, either.

I'd guess that for some they live in a world of too many choices to 
make. Time for them is a shrinking commodity. For some reason that we 
do not know, voting drops down the priority list in their crowded 
lives. I think the challenge is to raise that civic duty on the 
priority list, but do so without blaming. The more we blame, the more 
some of these will retreat into their independence to exercise an 
option.

I really like education. I really like letting younger people vote. 
Start upstream and work hard on that. If I could clone the excitement 
of my granddaughters who practically could not sleep because Tuesday 
was voting day, we would have a great future voter population.

What we are up against is the great middle - those demographic numbers 
that tell us fewer are voting each election cycle. And as we know, 
motivating adults is much more challenging than motivating children and 
youth. In that regard, I congratulate IndianVote, that increased the 
American Indian vote by a million nationwide. There are models. It can 
be done, but it is one voter at a time.

Best,

Laura
Southeast (Como)




Laura Waterman Wittstock
President and CEO
Wittstock & Associates
913 19th Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-387-4915
www.laurawatermanwittstock.com