Voter turnout simply not an acceptable number

We know local people care about politics.

All it takes is a simple scroll of Face book to figure that out — an endless web of Donald Trump this. Hillary Clinton that and, of course. Russia, Russia, Russia!

But talk is cheap. Anyone can take a few seconds out of their day while scrolling on their phone to offer a couple pointed cents on any topic.

Taking action at the polls is an entirely different animal.

And voter turnout this weekend shows that we have a lot of work to do in terms of turning our Internet superheroes into real-life difference makers at the polls.

Turnout in Lafourche Parish this weekend was embarrassingly low. hovering somewhere around 10 percent

So, that means that 1 out of every 10 people decided that this election was worthy of chiming in on.

That means that out of 1,000 people, just 100 voices were heard and the 900 others decided that watching the Kentucky Derby, going to Jazz Fest or other weekend activities meant more than cashing in on one’s civic duty.

The excuses are tireless and we’re here to pick them apart and call them all out as fraud one-by-one.

“Well, there were no actual humans being voted into or out of office on the ballot.”

That’s technically true, sure. But there were four millages regarding public education on the ballot. What’s more important than the future of children in our country?

“Well, it was the weekend and it was raining… and there was just a lot going on”

That’s bogus. There is a full week of early voting and other ways to vote before the actual day of the election. The Louisiana’s Secretary of State Office knows that pigeonholing people into a one-day commitment is troublesome — especially in our fast-paced world. They offer alternatives. It’s on YOU as the voter to care enough to participate and take advantage of the flexibility.

“Well, we figured no one would dare vote against the schools, so we didn’t think we needed to vote.”

This last one is the most dangerous thing anyone can say in a Democratic society.

Because the average voter is so apathetic and because voter turnout is typically so low. it’s begging for the wrong people to be elected into the wrong positions and for tax dollars to go into the wrong hands.

In no way, shape, nor form are we saying that this is what happened last weekend. We believe whole-heartedly in the performance of the Lafourche Parish School System and the amazing work they do for our local children

Passage of those mill ages was a no-brainer and there was an extremely high likelihood leading up to the election that Lafourche voters were going to support their efforts — and they did. decisively.

But what if the vote was a little closer and the topic a little more contentious?

Would we be comfortable letting 1 out of every 10 people in the community make the voting decisions that affect 100 percent of us in our day-to-day lives?

There are polls done year-round to gauge the happiness of the average American with his/her political leaders

On average. 65-70 percent of Americans usually say they are unhappy with the job being done by Congress in Washington DC.

On average. 60-66 percent of Americans usually say they are unhappy with the direction of the United States of America.

So where’s the disconnect? If the majority wants something different why aren’t they electing to get it at the polls?

Oh yeah — because they’re not participating when it matters — that’s why.

A wise Civics teacher once said. “If you choose to surrender your voice by not voting, then also choose to surrender your voice of complaint when things don’t go your way.”

There are a lot of people in Lafourche Parish who need to be exercising that right in the coining months — 89.9 percent of people, to be exact.

Terrebonne doesn’t skirt blame. If the same election had been held in that parish, turnout would have been just a Blow. Around the state, the numbers this weekend were embarrassing.

To have that many people pass on having a voice in education’s funding is unacceptable and downright scary.

The result, we feel, worked out for the best this rime.

But next time?

Who knows?