Politicians not only ones to blame for state of American politics

Our elected officials deserve plenty of blame for the state of politics in America today. They make promises they can’t or won’t keep. They lie about their opponent. They greedily stuff their pockets with campaign cash. And when they do get elected, they tend to focus more on getting re-elected than serving those they represent. Meanwhile, issues facing our various levels of government remain unresolved. But it is not just the politicians who deserve blame. So do voters. Or at least eligible voters. That is because so few people bother to exercise their civic duty and go to the polls to cast an informed vote on election day. In the most recent election in the spring, voters in our area didn’t exactly beat a path to the voting booth. Turnout in the April election barely topped 28%. Less than one-third of voters took a few minutes out of their busy day to go to the polls. In the 2016 fall primary, of the 71,000 eligible voters, only 7400 people bothered to vote. The next fall primary is one week from today. Are you planning to vote? Do you know who the candidates are and what their stance is on the issues? Being part of a democracy requires some effort on our part, at least if we want it to work effectively. If you still don’t know who you will vote for, do a little research. The information is easily available online, if you find a trusted source. If you aren’t registered to vote, or don’t know where to vote, there is time to find out. The politicians deserve plenty of blame for the state of politics in America today, but would-be voters also shoulder plenty of blame.