After the Palmer municipal election I was talking with my friend Mike and he commented that it doesn’t matter what 85% of people think because only 15% vote. Voter participation in recent elections has been dismal.
Take, for example, the special primary to fill the late Don Young’s U.S. House seat. The Division of Elections mailed ballots to every registered voter. Return postage was pre-paid. They did everything but fill in the oval, sign your name and drop it back in the mail. Yet of the 587,174 registered voters, only 27.55% or 161,773 actually voted. What this means is that special interests that can motivate a base can skew an election and you are going to have to live with the results.
In the November election, there will be candidates and issues that will have profound effects on Alaska and the nation, from a constitutional convention to who represents us in Washington, D.C. It’s important that you take the time to learn about the issues and the people running for office. You can request an absentee ballot, vote early in person or vote on Election Day. It is your privilege, and your duty to vote. Encourage your friends and family to vote. Every vote counts. Vote.
— Robert W. Lane
Palmer
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