Mailbag: Do More Voters Increase Quality?

Spencer: DFO, I really thought I proved yesterday that looking carefully at the facts shows: A. Our local voting numbers are going up and B. being the county with the best turnout only for the sake of turnout is not necessarily a good thing for improving the quality of the elected officials, as a far higher percentage of the votes would be cast based on name recognition. I think we all know that is only good for established incumbents and not the people being governed.

DFO: Smaller turnouts aid individuals and party factions who are trying to influence an election. The Republican nomination of Bill Sali as a congressional standard barrier is proof that small doesn’t mean wise. Religious conservatives bought this guy’s line this spring and will be wiping egg of their faces if he is elected to represent us. I used to say that lower turnouts meant my vote counted more. Now, I realize that lower turnouts mean nominations can by hijacked. Now, I support vote-by-mail, which drives up turnout, and allows voters to spend two weeks looking over their ballots and seeking information to vote intelligently.