Voter turnout: We can do better

Complaining is like junk food: just something for your mouth to do.

We hear one phrase a lot this time of year, “You can’t complain if you don’t vote.”

We heard it over and over from Mat-Su Borough voters attending a holiday gift fair at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla.

And while we know of no way to stop people from complaining about politics or anything else, we do see some truth in this familiar bumper sticker. For us, it might be closer to the truth to say, “You did nothing. You didn’t even vote. And now you have the gall to complain?”

Our reporter was at the Menard Saturday to gauge local sentiment going into today’s general election, specifically asking those of all ages if they remember the first presidential election wherein they could legally cast a ballot. We heard from first-time voters to longtime political junkies, and sentiments ranging from passionate appeals to vote a particular party to vague indifference to the whole process.

Some recalled voting in Richard M. Nixon’s first presidential race, others for his 1972 re-election. Some remembered casting their first ballots for John F. Kennedy, and one even said his first presidential vote was for Dwight D. Eisenhower.

What many had in common, though, was that first sentiment — don’t complain if you don’t vote. It’s common-sense advice, though not widely practiced here in the Valley, where residents in general don’t shy away from speaking their minds about politics.

That’s why we use this stump around election time to preach the importance of voting, rather than being an after-the-fact quarterback. We’d much prefer you have your say in how our municipalities, state and nation are run rather than endure another four years of malcontent folks sitting in their armchairs complaining.

It’s not breaking news that today’s general election is special. Every four years our votes decide who will hold the most powerful office on the planet for the next four years. It’s an important responsibility and, unlike our local elections, one Mat-Su Borough voters historically take to heart.

While the October Mat-Su Borough and municipal elections generated anywhere from 16 percent to 18 percent turnout, participation in presidential general elections is at another level. The last one, in 2008, drew some 43,875 of 61,249 voters in state House Districts 13-16 (which covers much of the borough), for a turnout of more than 71.6 percent.

That’s certainly head and shoulders above how we turn out for our local elections, but still a far cry from strong. Were we taking a test on our participation in the voting process, we’d have scored a C-minus this last go-around.

We can do much better.

Don’t allow potentially long lines or wading through crowded polling places to sway your determination to vote today. There’s no reason we can’t expect local voters to score a strong A on this year’s report card for voter turnout.