Tommy at Sticks of Fire is looking for suggestions on how to increase voter turnout, especially elections that don’t involve presidential candidates and don’t take place in November. Here are the suggestions I offered.
1. Voting registration drives in the political off-season. During the heat of a political season, wary citizens are afraid of being bamboozled and would rather just not vote. Non-partisan door to door education about how to register and how/where to vote will increase the number of people registered to vote. Handouts to volunteers will help explain why cynicism (”it doesn’t matter who wins”) and apathy (”i don’t pay attention to politics”) damage the American philosophy of political engagement.
2. Voting parties – regular get-togethers at the polling place to remind and reinforce people of the locations they will visit when they vote. At these get-togethers non-partisan information is made available reminding people of voting days and the offices being voted on, and the responsibilities of people in these offices.
3. Monthly meetings at branch libraries with someone to explain “civic literacy” – where to vote, how to vote, why to vote, what gets voted on, the responsibilities of officeholders.
4. Voting holidays would help. Civic-minded businesses need to close for the day. It’s not just they need to allow their employees time to vote, it’s that an aura of celebration and fun needs to surround voting days. Newspapers, tv stations, blogs can provide free advertising to businesses with the gumption to close to help celebrate voting day.
5. Having a city/region you can take pride in increases public investment in what happens locally.
But, in all candor, I’m not so sure increasing voter turnout would change anything. Uninformed people will make uninformed choices. The best way to increase voter turnout is to invest heavily in public education and prioritize classes in civics. But, liberal ideas like that are not popular in Florida.
But, anyway, it’s a thoughtful post, go check it out. And if you ran the zoo, how would you increase voter turnout?
I commented over at Sticks.
Your blogroll is missing a very important site. (wink, wink)
I also recommend that if the town if heavely SPANISH SPEAKING, they should have somebody to translate and educate the community about voting and the people who are you voting for.
Maribel, you’re exactly right. And given the wonderful Cuban and Spanish culture and history we have here in Tampa, and in Florida, it should be automatic that civic education is provided in Spanish as well as English.