THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100217
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ronald L. Speer
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Well, it's nice to know that two out of three people I meet in the next few months won't be talking about politics or government.
They won't be whining about the actions of the people who decide what we pay in property taxes.
They won't be whining about anything that goes on in our schools.
And they won't be whining about clogged highways or beaches or fishing regulations or Oregon Inlet or anything else in which government plays a role.
The reason they won't is because they didn't get a ``Right to Whine'' button May 7. The button goes only to people who cast ballots in the election.
In North Carolina, there surely is a law that says ``no vote, no button. No button, no whine.''
So in Dare County, where I live, that means that only one of three people I meet are entitled to wear the button and talk politics or government or schools or roads or fishing regulations.
The other two folks I meet can discuss their kids or the weather or bowling, but they have to stay clear of what goes on at the school house or the county seat or the statehouse.
The reason is that only one-third of Dare's 15,154 registered voters cast ballots in the primary, which had hot local races between Democrats and between Republicans for county commission nominations, school board elections, and tight contests on the state level. The total turnout was about 4,900.
About 8,400 of Dare's registered voters are Democrats. Nearly 4,800 are Republicans, and about 2,200 are unafiliated.
About 3,400 Democratic votes were cast. About 1,150 Republican ballots were issued, or about 24 percent.
Similar tales of disinterest echoed over the Albemarle area, and oldtimers say that the light turnout Tuesday was actually pretty normal.
The big draw in American politics is the presidential race, and there was nothing at stake in Tuesday's primary since Bill Clinton and Bob Dole apparently have locked up their party nominations.
I've never understood why people will pass up voting for the commissioners and school board members who control our everyday life, but will fight to get to the polls to cast a vote for president.
Every couple of years I worry over ways to get more people involved in the most-envied political process in the world.
Issuing ``Right to Whine'' buttons is my latest idea, but obviously far bolder steps are needed.
Maybe we could force a non-voter to wear a scarlet ``A'' on the chest as did Hester Prine in ``The Scarlet Letter,'' although this A would stand for ``Apathetic.''
Perhaps we could punish people in their pocketbooks, since money is the American way. A fine of $25 could go to an educational fund, and published versions of the non-voters' excuses in court for not casting a ballot probably would make the best-seller lists for fiction.
Thirty days of exile to a country led by a dictator might whet the urge to vote.
But perhaps the best way to draw a crowd at the polling places would be to shut them down.
If the word went around that a handful of insiders would rule the community, the state and the nation, the most apathetic of us would take to the streets demanding our constitutional rights.
We'd knock down doors and push through police to cast a ballot if the government told us we couldn't vote.
Perhaps you've got a better idea. If you do, please share it with us all - if you voted.
If you didn't vote, forget it. I'm not talking politics or government or schools or fishing regulations with anyone without a ``Right to Whine'' button. by CNB