Your vote is your voice

This year’s Best of 225 was a record-breaker. Up 19% from 2011, a grand total of 3,991 readers completed our scientific survey. This suggests that people have no qualms with spending time to vote on things they are, 1) Knowledgeable of, and 2) Care strongly about. Often in south Louisiana that means food, shopping and entertainment.

While our Best of 225 voting was underway, another debate was brewing in our community, the one over the property tax known as the CATS tax. The measure passed narrowly and will increase funding to the Baton Rouge region’s public bus system.

And yet, for all the bluster on both sides of that issue, less than 30% of those eligible—or roughly 41,000 people—voiced their opinions on the CATS tax with an actual vote.

Nationally, the Federal Election Commission reports voter turnout has slid from 61.3% in 1960 to 37.8% in 2010; all this despite the legal voting age being lowered from 21 to 18 by constitutional amendment in 1971.

Why is this apparent trend toward apathy occurring, and, perhaps more urgently, why is it not considered by more to be a crisis of democracy? We like to complain about election results and the status quo, but too often this is “Monday morning quarterbacking” from those who didn’t even vote.

In Louisiana, those unsure of the importance of voting for the governor, our state representatives and senators need look no further than the bill tally of the recently concluded legislative session: 893.

That’s a lot of decisions and changes for the state. Certainly that many potential new laws is impossible for any single citizen to track in detail, but that doesn’t mean we cannot devise a strategic plan for boosting voter education and engagement at the local level.

First, government needs to consolidate its elections. Louisiana has far too many in a system that seems designed for low voter turnout. However, the goal cannot simply be to produce better turnout, but rather to create a greater number of well-informed voters.

Fortunately, technology and social innovation can be harnessed to develop methods for making informed voting easier, more time-efficient and secure. Nationwide, countless hours and investment dollars are spent on apps and online services that entertain us, keep us connected, provide us with vital financial services and information and help us support worthy causes.

Is our very democracy not worthy of such an investment as well?

According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, New Orleans has seen a 19% boost in tech jobs in the past seven years compared to just 3% nationally. There’s little reason why Louisiana, with its attractive digital media tax incentive, cannot be at the forefront of bringing a revolution to what has become an increasingly neglected voting process.

But while technology can bolster voter education and access, a certain level of personal responsibility must be taken by citizens who care about the direction of their city and state.

Tell your friends and colleagues who you are voting for this fall and why. Initiate discussion about the mayor’s race and the Metro-Council elections and encourage them to register and vote. Beyond pulling a lever, there are many entrees into the political process, and volunteering for a candidate in ways big or small is, if nothing else, a positive exercise in community engagement.

A more engaged community is a healthier community.