Apathy and Politics

Thinking about thinking

American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson once said, “In politics, an organized minority is a political majority.” Nearby Brady Township, in their recent elections, has shown that the minority need not even know they are in the race. It must be a fluke — or is it the beauty? — inherent in the democratic process which allowed student Jon Knepp to be elected Brady Township Auditor.
Knepp, a senior, told me he likes to write his own name in the blank ballot spaces when no one is running for the position. He finds it humorous to think that someone will have to count the single vote.
Jon’s mother, knowing that he does this, thought it would be funny to tell him she wrote in his name as well. The real joke is that Knepp was elected to township office with only two votes.
Knepp explained his duties, “The auditor oversees the financial transactions of a township.” It is a paid six year position. Knepp admitted that he has no experience auditing. He only said, “I plan to audit to the best of my auditing capabilities.”
Granted, no one was actually running for the position, however, Knepp was elected with at least twice as many votes as any other possible candidate. The landslide demonstrates how easy it is for any uncommitted and unqualified candidate to be elected, at least in a relatively small township. Knepp said, “This just shows how rampant voter apathy is, but also that people who say they can’t effect government are just wrong.”
It can be acknowledged that Brady Township is only a specific example, but if voters are not interested in running for office at the local level, it makes one curious to know how these same voters feel about national government. Knepp suggested, “Even if you don’t run a campaign, you can still be elected and if people knew this maybe they wouldn’t be so apathetic and positions wouldn’t go unfilled.”
Knepp and I reminisced back to the notorious 2000 presidential election. The election was riding on a couple hundred votes in Florida, a state where voter participation was low. Knepp suggested, “If people felt they were more involved at a local level then they would be more confident on a national level and we could really make some changes.”
Democracy may not be the perfect political system we envision. It is interesting to wonder if in the 21st century there will be a new form of government implemented to deal with our ever changing culture, ideals and dare it be mentioned, our apathy. For now however, it is the system which we have in place and emphasizing the positive aspects of the system is very important.
With the airwaves electrified by coverage of the 2008 Presidential campaigns I can only hope to persuade every student of age to take advantage of their opportunity to vote. The beauty of democracy is that every individual is involved.
Yet, increasing voter participation is a problematic issue in the United States. Enormous efforts from nonpartisan groups like the League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote are applaudable. Nevertheless, the problem persists. Is this seriously a problem stemming from apathy or is there something else?
The American essayist from Pennsylvania Agnes Repplier once said, “Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements.”
There is a vague feeling within our generation, an apathetic political mentality far from the ideals of democracy which needs to be questioned. I have heard many students express their disinterest in politics. Is this because people feel insignificant in national elections? Knepp commented, “Those people are only insignificant because they make themselves insignificant.”
Knepp has no plans to run for public office in the future. In fact he told me that he really has no interest in politics. However Knepp did say, “If I continue to see such apathy I may continue to write myself in and maybe I’ll squeeze out another win.”

ryan hamilton
-taken from Dec. 13th issue of the Juniatian.