Why Don’t People Vote?
Is the political disinterest we often blame on apathy caused instead by confusion and embarrassment?
“I’ve always had a belief that people are uneducated and unsure about anything political,” Shannon Selland of Spokane said after “Bagpipes” requested better ideas than the “motor-voter law” to involve citizens in the political process. “I think most people don’t know what district they live in or who their representatives are, and they’re too embarrassed to ask.”
If that information plus plain-English explanations of pending legislation were constantly available in the media, she said, “then I think people might get involved because they’ll see how much affects them.”
Cal Modisett of Spokane adds: “Motor voting attracts people who are simply too disinterested or too lazy to go through the normal process of registration. … These people are probably just as disinterested in learning the issues or the candidates.”
Don’t collect your gold stars just yet
If voters have earned no badges for their participation, they don’t seem to think their Spokane County commissioners have either.
“It is not a question of whether the county commissioners need badges,” said Patt Earley of Spokane. “It is a question of why has it taken (Commissioner) Phil Harris until this August to figure out in what bad shape the county budget is?”
Art Allen, Spokane: “To quote a movie I saw once, ‘They do not need no stinking badges’ - especially the way they’re ripping us off.”
Pat Blakely, Spokane: “If they felt they really need badges for identification, I bet they could find an adequate one for $50 or so. We don’t need gold.”
Dolores Minor, Spokane: “Is Mr. Harris’ ego so in need of recognition that he has to wear a badge, for God’s sake?”
Gambling poll: even money on tribes
Should Washington’s Indian tribes have an advantage over other gambling facilities?
James A. Nelson, Spokane: “There is no reason why one ethnic group should be favored over another, whether it be for social or economic reasons. If you allow gambling on reservations, it should be allowed everywhere in this state.”
Allan LeTourneau, Spokane: “Since we have taken most of the Indians’ native land, we should, in return, give them exclusive rights to the gambling industry. Perhaps this will restore the pride and responsibility that billions of dollars in grants have destroyed over time.”
, DataTimes MEMO: “Bagpipes” appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond, call Cityline at 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone; or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to dougf@spokesman.com. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.