A four-letter word for everyone

BY A. PAUL WOOD, PRESIDENT/CEO, GEORGIA ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORP.

One sad fact of this presidential election year is that a majority of eligible Americans will choose not to vote.

Why?

Forty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson defeated Sen. Barry Goldwater with 61.92 percent of the vote. That was the high-water mark for American voting; it has been downhill ever since.

In 2000, slightly more than 51 percent of eligible voters bothered to go to the polls.

This shameful neglect of our basic civic duty came to mind when I read about an essay written by the late Wade Edwards, 16-year-old son of Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. The younger Edwards was killed in a tragic auto accident in 1996.

Before his death, Wade wrote an essay for a national competition about the voting booth being the one place where everyone comes together, “people in fancy clothes, and others dressed in overalls. Each has exactly the same vote. Each has exactly the same say in the election.”

He reflected views shared by all our ancestors, that voting is the essential act of patriotism, the central underpinning of this republic.

Toward the end of his essay, Wade wrote, “Soon I will be voting. It is a responsibility and a right. It is also an exciting national experience. Voters have different backgrounds, dreams and experiences, but that is the whole point of voting: different voices are heard. As I get close to the time I can register and vote, it is exciting. I become one of the voices. I know I will vote in every election. I know that someday I will bring my son with me and introduce him to one of the great American experiences: voting.”

Vice President Al Gore actually won the popular vote in 2000 by almost 544,000 votes, but he lost the electoral vote when Florida went for Gov. George Bush by 537 votes. An additional vote for Gore in every third Florida precinct would have changed history.

The 2000 election may never be forgotten—not because it was a close contest, but because it demonstrated the power of the vote. It will be remembered because so many left to others the decision that defines us as a free people. With only 51 percent of the eligible voters voting, those who didn’t vote nearly doubled the ballot power of those who did. In other words, when only 50 percent of eligible voters turn out, those who do vote get twice as much voting power. It’s like they voted twice, as if to fill in the ballot for the no-shows. How’s that for power?

Our government does not have all the answers. It never will. But we must recognize that our democracy is only as strong as “we the people” make it. That’s the message from our founders; it is also the message from 16-year-old Wade Edwards—and it is a message we must never forget. A government of the people, by the people and for the people requires our active participation.

I encourage you to use that four-letter word on everyone you meet—and vote!