Voter turnout an embarrassment

As I arrived at a polling station last Tuesday to campaign, I expected a flurry of voters throughout the day. I was sadly mistaken. Instead, I sat in my car most of the day keeping warm as hours passed with few or no voters to be seen. By the end of the day, only 102 of the precinct's 525 voters had voted.\nThis number (from a polling station in northern Indiana), as sad as it may be, might be considered above average in Monroe County. I've looked at the voter turnout percentage in Monroe County again and again, yet I cannot believe it. 13 percent. \nPitiful. \nSad. \nEmbarrassing.\nAll understatements. 13 percent? Every year we read about "embarrassingly low turnouts," but the phrase hardly does justice to 13 percent. I could go on well beyond my word limit with harsh criticisms of this indescribably disappointing number -- but I have no doubt that many of the 87 percent (in reality, I would be surprised if even 10 percent of IU students voted) would wonder, "Why should we care?"\nSo, here you go. First, a democracy can't exist without voters. You see, if people don't bother critically analyzing candidates and taking their knowledge to the ballot box, we are going to have a bunch of, well, less than desirable public officials. Sheriffs who are incompetent, judges who are lazy and corrupt legislators are the fruits of 13 percent. But, when people become involved and take their privilege to vote seriously, public officials will face more scrutiny and be forced to live up to a high standard or face being voted out of office.\nSecond, the ballot is power. In our system of government, Americans give up some control of their lives to the government. The government can set policy, tax and take many other actions directly affecting our lives. Elections are our time to hold policy makers accountable. The smaller the voter turnout, the less impact individuals have on the laws that govern them. For example, how often do you hear young people pushing for a lower drinking age or the legalization of marijuana? Quite frequently, yet those aged 18-24 are in the lowest percentage of any voting age group. \nBecause people of college age don't vote, politicians (in what makes sense politically) can get away with ignoring our complaints. Why would a politician want to help someone who will not vote? Sadly, many politicians will ignore those groups that don't vote and pander to those who do (i.e. the elderly). When voter turnout is as low as 13 percent, the vote of one group may well win the election. But young people, despite their abstention from voting, often have no trouble complaining about the laws and the law enforcers. This is a prime example of hypocrisy. If you don't vote, don't complain!\nBut, if there are so many marvelous reasons to vote, why such low voter turnout? The IDS declared in a headline, "Weather causes low voter turnout." Hogwash! Neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail nor anything short of a nuclear attack is an excuse for 13 percent. People died for our right to vote! Just 40 years ago, blacks and whites alike died in the south to secure the vote for all Americans -- regardless of skin color. Two hundred years before that, our forefathers fought a war against a tyrant for the right to vote. And what do we do? We abstain, we make excuses and we vote in numbers like 13 percent. Sad. America may well be a "model for democracy," but Monroe County sure isn't.