People complain that they don't vote because they have to choose between the lesser of two evils (or something to that effect). They wouldn't be necessarily in that difficult position if they focused more on the primary elections. We have eight candidates running for King County executive, eight for Seattle City Mayor, five for Seattle City Council Position No. 4, six for Seattle City Council Position No. 8, and several other races where there are at least three candidates. You have choices,
but when you don't act on them, it's your own fault for what the general election offers. The majority of voters from the
August 2008 primary were ages 65 & older (72%). Compare that to the 18 to 24 year olds (18%) and the 25 - 34 year olds (19%).
The one saving grace is that a significant increase in voter turnout occurred for the
November 4th general election. This is no doubt due to the presidential election (Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin). For Washington State registered voters, the general election produced:
- 18 - 24: 68% voter turnout
- 25 - 34: 74% voter turnout
- 35 - 44: 82% voter turnout
- 45 - 54: 87% voter turnout
- 55 - 64: 91% voter turnout
- 65+: 91% voter turnout
If we could only generate these levels of voter turnout in every election, we might come off as more of a democratic society.
