Editorial: Reverse the trend

THE REGISTER-HERALD (BECKLEY, W.V.)

March 28, 2008 10:22 am

— Editorial: Reverse the trend
City election process ready for a change

Opinion: The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.

Voter apathy. It’s a problem. A big problem, from national elections right on down to small towns.
It’s been a problem for some time. And no matter how hard a candidate campaigns, no matter how much attention the media give to races to both inform the voters and promote turnout, the ugly head of apathy continues to overshadow the faces in the campaign.
We don’t know why. We’ve heard theories.
- There are no choices.
- My vote doesn’t count.
- Candidates make promises they can’t keep.
- I’m turned off by the whole political process.
- Negative campaigning.
And then once an election cycle is over, those who didn’t vote are often the first to complain about the people who were elected.
Reversing this trend won’t be easy. But it has to start somewhere, and on the local level, the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce is ready to take the first step.
Chamber officials attended Tuesday night’s Beckley Common Council meeting and proposed a study to find out what needs to be done to change voter attitude.
In last year’s municipal elections in Beckley, the turnout was only 13.59 percent for the primaries and a pathetic 5.72 percent for the general election.
We believe the first thing that needs to be done is to change Beckley’s current primary/general election system to a single, nonpartisan election. Have a designated filing period and let candidates file for mayor and council.
Of course, one could argue that Morgantown has nonpartisan elections and turnout there in the last election was 5 percent. But having two elections where the combined turnout is less than 20 percent is a waste of time and money.
Councilman Cedric Robertson said Tuesday that several people were involved with voter registration drives last year at churches, and he believes work could begin at churches by organizing their members.
In order to turn this around, it must start at the precinct level, in the neighborhoods, and work its way up. To start at a central location and hope it filters down will not work.
And the education system must re-commit itself to teaching the importance of voting. Basic civics classes would be a good place to start.
We support the chamber in its efforts to reverse the trend of voter apathy. Karen Bowling, CEO of Raleigh General Hospital and chamber chairwoman, told council Tuesday that a successful city has excited voters.
We agree.