April 2026, Anyway…
Growing up in America, we were regularly sermonized at about the importance of taking part in elections. The evangelizers of democratic activity portrayed the action of voting as a moral imperative, denouncing those who stay home as lazy civilians, unwilling to take part in their civicduty.
The greater the turnout at the polls, we were told, the greater the virtue and victory of the people, such that one would assume that by means of this political confessional box, equipped with the sacred pen and scantron sheet, the nation could be made whole and glorious.
Does this hold up to reality? There has been no greater turnout in American history than the last few elections. In fact, the trend has been steadily upward since the 1990s. In the early 1900s, less than 20% of the eligible population voted (women were of course 0% since they were not yet allowed), but that same metric has reached over 60% of eligible voters, and two out of three voters across the nation took part in the 2020 presidential election!
Given these civic gains in election engagement, the gospel would have us believe that we should expect to find our nation two-thirds of the way to a Utopia! Alas, this seems not to be the case. We are not more unified, but seemingly more divided. We don’t feel more heard, but more drowned out. With every swing of the political compass, more ballots are cast and yet more problems are created than solved.
If there were any correlation between voter turnout and national success or happiness, it would seem to be inversely proportional, but I would argue there is hardly any correlation at all. If one does exist, the cause and effect are reversed; national troubles and discontent spur voter turnout. Low voter turnout, conversely, is a sign that people are more content with how things are going.
There is, however, a more harmful side to the “get out and vote” preaching. It gives the implication that by simply voting, a citizen has done all that is expected of them, and is absolved of any further engagement. The “I VOTED” sticker acts as a political indulgence, purchased by a small amount of time once every couple of years at the cathedral of democracy. This is, in my opinion, an unacceptable perspective of far too many people. Voting is not engagement. It can be done with almost no effort and certainly no pertinent information on the candidates, positions, stakes, or choices.
Given the option, if I could choose to either have 1,000 Miltonians vote in every election they could from now until they perish, or instead have those same 1,000 Miltonians show up regularly to City meetings, run for office, enroll themselves for committees, volunteer their time about town, get active with local non-profits, and otherwise become aware, connected, and engaged directly with the City of Milton, Rock County, and Wisconsin; I would choose the latter without hesitation. There would be no doubt in my mind that those engaged citizens would have a greater beneficial effect on our area than if I could guarantee 100% voter turnout from now until the end of days!
Anyways...this soap box is feeling a little rickety now, and I should probably step down. As it happens, there is an election on the 7th this month, and you should absolutely do your part and go vote.
