Are Indiana voters apathetic?
With the onslaught of political campaigning, advertisements, television commercials, one would think that the public would be more interested, or at least aware, of who is running for which office.
But a recent public forum to give voters a chance to hear from candidates running to represent Dubois County and 18 other counties in the U.S. Congress could be telling. About 100 seats were filled in the 600-plus seat auditorium.
Maybe people stayed home to watch the World Series. Maybe they had activities to take their children to. Or maybe people just weren’t that interested.
Based on a study by WalletHub, an online financial site, the latter might be true for Indiana, which did not rank highly in political engagement.
The study ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The state at number one, and thus the most politically engaged, was Massachusetts; ranked 51st was West Virginia. Indiana ranked 45th.
Gary Eck, chairman of the Dubois County Democratic Party, said that there are a multitude of contributing factors that leads to perceived voter apathy.
“First and foremost is the escalation of negative campaigning that has become more intense for national and statewide offices,” he said. “Both of the major political parties are guilty of telling half-truths in their effort to persuade voters to support their candidates. While this style may motivate the extreme membership in the parties, they quickly become distasteful to the vast majority of the population.
“Unfortunately, many people associate the bitter conflicts at the national and state level with the local elected officials,” Eck said. “While differences of opinion is common — and healthy — at the local level, it is not driven by national party platforms; rather it is more likely influenced by the methods used by the local elected official. But, good or bad, our local candidates are associated with the national newsmakers.”
Don Hayes, chairman of the Dubois County Republican Party, said that he didn’t think there is voter apathy here in the county. “Our candidates have reported very positive responses to their interactions with voters,” he said. “Voters are asking questions and sharing opinions with Republican candidates on the voters’ doorsteps and in public settings.
“The illusion of apathy is the result of inflated voter rolls and the corresponding low percentage of voter turnout,” Hayes said. He added that the Secretary of State office has been working to verify voters by asking voters to respond to mail sent to the address listed on their voter registration.
WalletHub analyzed each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six factors: the percentage of registered in the last presidential election, the percentage of citizens who voted in the 2010 midterm elections, the percentage who voted in the 2012 presidential election, the change in the percentage of citizens who voted in the 2012 election compared with the 2008 election, the total political contributions per adult and civic education engagement.
Looking at those same voting years, more Dubois County voters turn out for presidential elections than mid-term elections. And, overall, a greater percentage of registered county voters turned out in all elections than the state average. In 2008, 40 percent of those eligible to vote in Dubois County voted in the primary election and 63 percent voted in the general election. In 2012, 20 percent voted in the primary and 64 percent voted in the general. Statewide, 40 percent of voters cast a ballot in the 2008 primary and 62 in the general election. In 2012, 22 percent voted in the primary and 58 percent voted in general election.
In the last midterm election, in 2010, 27 percent of county voters cast a ballot and 51 percent did in the general election. Statewide, 21 percent of voters did so in the primary and 41 percent did in the general election.
The 2011 election year was for municipal elections, so not all voters would have been involved. Dubois County had a special election in 2009 that involved a limited number of voters as well. But typically, there are no elections the year after a presidential election.
“If people seem apathetic, it is probably that they are distracted from politics by their busy lives,” Hayes said. “It can be draining to earn a living, keep up with active family members and socialize. People seem to be suspicious of political parties believing them to be the cause of division.”
Eck also said that busy lives is a factor, and it affects more than politics. “I think that political involvement is also affected by the same dynamics that has lessened involvement in our service clubs and our churches,” he said. “Other activities now consume time that formerly was directed to these organizations. I believe, for example, that availability of sports and other entertainment on TV virtually all the time provides a distraction.”
How apathetic Indiana voters are about this election or how much they let other distractions keep them from the polls will be revealed with Tuesday’s vote.
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