I’ve heard some disturbing survey results regarding democracy lately.  A bunch of poll statistics were released from something sounding official and unbiased that indicated support for democracy is declining in the U.S.  The figures for young people were even more disappointing. I was saddened and dismayed.  We literally wrote the book on democratic government, and now we think maybe it’s not worth the trouble.

This shouldn’t be a surprise.  We only need look at voter turnout.  It was somewhere around 58% in 2016, a presidential year.  In 2014, when we totally repopulated the House and a third of the Senate, it was at 36%.  Other countries – not just the “developed” ones, have turnouts in the 80% – 90% range.  One person, one vote is the basis of any democracy.  We are the people who fund our government and are bound by its dictates.  This is our one and only chance to shape it as we, the people, see fit.  We are failing.  Voter restrictions are real, and have a dramatic outcome on elections. Our indifference, however has profound results as well.

Abraham Lincoln said we seek a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”  Today, we grouse about how badly Washington is at the “for the people” part, yet we ignore the “of…” and “by…” bits.  The word democracy has its root in the Greek word “demos” – the people.  It implies that we need to be involved in some way.  When people who can, don’t vote, they are shirking a primary responsibility of citizens.

I’m not a fan of the “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain” argument.  We’re all going to complain.  It is our nature.  But if you don’t vote, you’ve let us all down.  You have withheld your best from us:  your opinions, your views on issues, and your hard spots.  We are all worse as a result.  This goes double for those small-time local elections that nobody cares about.  In reality, these are the choices that touch us all most closely.  These people decide which neighborhoods get sewers when, which streets will get plowed in winter, and what our kids are taught in school.  These are also the farm teams for the big players:  state and federal representatives.  While you may think your vote is worthless in the national races because you live in a staunchly red/blue state, you still have a huge impact on who makes decisions in your city or school district.

Our responsibility as citizens of a democratic republic doesn’t end there.  An uninformed vote is not worthless.  It is often harmful, succumbing to the candidate with the best sound bites and the most press.  It reduces choices to a game of barroom darts at closing time.  If we can take the time to know who has the most rushing yards in the NFL, or who’s screwing whom in Real Housewives, we can find the time to understand where the candidates stand on things that mean the most to each of us every day.  In less time than it takes google a Thai restaurant that delivers, we could understand of how that school board nominee will vote on what our eighth grader will learn.

Democracy requires work, but it’s not heavy lifting.  The task is to make a good choice, nothing more.  It requires some education away from what mainstream media will feed us.  There are a lot of sources out there that span the political spectrum.  We should even read a few that pose views far from our own.  These are human voices.  We’re all better off if we at least listen.  Listening is not condoning.

“…of the people, by the people…” We need to hold up our end of the deal, folks.  If we fail to make good choices – or any choices at all – we will lose the ability to ever do so again.  Those who take over will legislate it out of existence, to be supplanted by decree, corruption and repression.  Democracy is very threatening to despots. They will swoop in, given the chance.  Even in the USA.  Sorry folks, we have no special immunity.