Some of you love to stand in line on election day, not just to vote, but to talk to your neighbors. I saw this quite a bit when I worked elections and agree it's a good chance to catch up with people you know and like. If you have a sweet tooth, it's even better because there are numerous bake sales. Sometimes, you get a chance to meet candidates or other elected officials who are supporting them. I hate standing in line. I'm pretty much a miserable bastard and the only people who smile at me are those who don't know me. I like the convenience of mail-in ballots (MIBs). I'm far from alone. In this year's municipal primary, 18,426 people voted by mail in NorCo. That's almost half of the total 40,342 votes cast. But has the MIB option really helped turnout? Has it made elections more inclusive? If you look at this year's anemic turnout, I'd say no.
This year, we had contested primaries for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, County Executive, Magisterial District Judge, Bethlehem Mayor, Bethlehem City Council and Easton City Council. Total turnout was an embarrassing 17.7%, even though these elected officials have much more of an impact on our daily lives than the President. You can't call Trump if your street has not been plowed.
It was just as bad in the municipal primary four years ago. Turnout in that race was 20.87%, just slightly higher than on Tuesday. In the '23 municipal primary, it was just 19.23%.
I've seen the argument that MIBs increase voter turnout, and that may be true in Presidential and Congressional races. But in municipal races, it has failed to make a difference.
I believe the main reason for this apathy is that most voters simply are unfamiliar with the candidates because local news media is pretty much a thing of the past. While there are noble ventures by public media, Victor Martinez' La Mega 101.7 FM (gives local news and insights to Spanish-speaking listeners) and sources like Armchair Lehigh Valley Molovinsky on Allentown or even me, but we reach far too few people.
My uninformed opinion has always been that people who need to work two or three jobs have enough trouble putting food on the table than worry about who represents them. As a result, nobody does.
What's your take?
