Why Not? The Reasons People Don’t Vote Vary, But Most Just Don’t Feel Their Voice Is Heard Above The Din Of Politics

“I have never registered to vote. My husband and I have been married 16 years. He’s never registered to vote. I was so displeased when my daughter, whose 25, told me she registered. ‘You’ve got to be kidding! I thought I raised you better than that.”’

Linda Marshall, a 44-year-old Spokane woman said last Wednesday that years ago she made a deliberate decision not to vote. To do so, she said, would mean participating in a corrupt political system. “I just don’t want to be associated with it,” she said.

Last week, The Spokesman-Review and KXLY radio teamed up to find out why people don’t vote. A timely question, considering two out of three registered voters in Spokane County didn’t show up for the primary election two weeks ago.

Newspaper readers were asked to ponder the importance of voting last Spring by responding to a printed survey on the topic.

Rick Miller and Mike Fitzsimmons, both hosts of talk shows on KXLY, engaged their listeners on the subject during two on-air discussions.

“It seems to me, the one thing these people have in common is that they’re just plain lazy!” Miller said. But there seems to be more to it than that.

The League of Women Voters says that refusing to vote has little to do with alienation or cynicism, two things that were previously thought to be major factors. Their study, released last May, states that more often people don’t vote because they don’t realize the impact of elections on issues that matter to them.

Scott Bricker of Spokane understood. “I didn’t used to vote. I was uninvolved and didn’t realize what a difference is makes,” he said. “When Clinton won, I registered.”

The study also said that non-voters tend to believe they lack sufficient information on which to base their voting decisions, and that the voting process is difficult or cumbersome.

A sentiment echoed by 24-year-old Julie Reyes of Spokane. “I guess the reason I don’t vote is because I believe that no vote is better than an ignorant vote. The thing that would encourage me to vote is if there was some unbiased way I could learn about each candidate. I’m not trusting of what I read and hear.”

Luckily, Reyes is registered. According to the League of Women Voters, that means she’ll continue to receive informational mailings from parties, candidates, political organizations and election officials. An unregistered citizen won’t receive any of that, the study said.

The idea that non-voters aren’t always apathetic about politics repeated in other research on the topic. The Harwood Group, a public policy research organization in Bethesda, Md., determined that Americans think lobbying and campaign financing make them politically powerless. But that does not necessarily mean that they don’t pay attention to the issues or engage in civic life. More often than not, these people participate when they perceive that they can make a difference. Volunteer service, neighborhood organizations, the PTA. Those are more attractive alternatives for many nonvoters.

But MTV, cable television’s music video giant, found that 70 percent of young Americans don’t vote because they’re turned off by politics. Bickering, mudslinging, boredom and distrust of the candidates motivates this malaise.

Politicians are hucksters. Liars. Only motivated to win. This sentiment surfaced again and again. “It’s difficult to find honesty in any walk of life anymore,” echoed one anonymous Spokesman-Review letter writer. “The word ‘politician’ has become synonymous with ‘used car salesman.”’

An extensive reporting project undertaken this summer by the Medill News Service discovered that the majority of non-voters defy a popular stereotype that they are poor, young and uneducated.

Reporters who worked on “No Show ‘96: Americans Who Don’t Vote,” surveyed 1,001 non-voters by telephone. They found that non-voters have strong opinions about political issues. Lack of mobility, they determined, is not a major reason why people don’t vote.

Non-voters tend to be independent, instead of Republican or Democrat. They tend to be conservative rather than liberal. They think that media gets in the way of society solving its own problems. And non-voting women, the telephone survey revealed, are more pessimistic and cynical than non-voting men, because they believe that they’re less politically powerful or influential as men.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Charles Waltmire

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: What about non-voters in the Inland Northwest? Here’s what a few people in our area had to say:

“I don’t vote because I don’t trust our city government whatsoever…I think a lot of people in Spokane are just tired of government. With all the corruption these days, it’s just disgusting. Who can you believe in?!” Roger Burger, 58, Spokane

“Fewer are voting because they feel that government will do whatever it wants. Surveys and polls are juggled to make them come out however the survey-takers choose. But, my theory is ‘if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”’ Anonymous

“People don’t want to be up for jury duty. People don’t want to take the time to learn about the candidates and the issues. This is all indicative of the biggest problem we have in our country right now. People just don’t want to take responsibility.” Jim Haxton, 42, Mead

“There are two reason that most of the people I’ve talked to do not vote. The untruth of the politicians and the junk mail that they receive. I think I received about 11 pounds of it!” Don Corey, 73, Spokane

“Why vote? All the information is false or slanted!” D.C. Peebler, 58, Spokane

“What bothers me the most today is the apathy of American society. Today, we’re too isolated from the politicians. I think, also, that people are just lazy. They’re too wrapped up in themselves to vote.” Jerry Roberts, 40, Spokane

“I don’t vote because there is little to no information, and an uninformed vote to me is worse than not voting at all. Why should I vote someone into office if I don’t know their qualifications? Would you hire someone for a job if you didn’t know their background? Why should I vote for a bond issue tax increase if I don’t know the pro’s and con’s or where and how the money would be spent? If Spokane wants it’s people to vote, they need to do a better job of informing the public about the when, where, what and who issues. It’s not up to the candidate to spark my interest in voting, it’s up to the election officials. The local media also needs to step up and provide people with more information.” Nancy Russell, 37, Spokane

“My vote does not account for anything.” Michelle Kreig, 36, Springdale

“My vote, one among many, does not count. Regardless of the hoopla, I’m sure that elections have already been decided.” Mary Cosentini, 73, Spokane

“I live in a low-income, high-crime neighborhood in East Central Spokane. My neighbors don’t vote because they have a negative, pessimistic attitude towards politics. Many are uneducated and unemployed. They feel disenfranchised. Especially when useful social services are cut. Voting is the last thing on these people’s minds.” Anonymous