State’s voter participation far worse than reported

Drawing on data from the secretary of the state’s office, Connecticut’s Hearst newspapers reported last weekend that while voter participation in the state’s municipal elections long has been poor, participation in this month’s municipal elections improved slightly, from 32 to 33%. But in fact participation is far worse than that and is always far worse than is officially reported.

For one, the percentages from the secretary’s office are based on the number of people who are registered to vote in the state — 2,130,142 as of Election Day — not on the total population of adults eligible to vote. According to the U.S. census, Connecticut’s population of legal residents of voting age eligible is much greater than 2,130,142. It is 2,803,538, not counting the estimated 113,000 people living in the state illegally.

 So Connecticut has about 673,000 people who are eligible to vote but who are not registered.

That is, about 24% of Connecticut’s eligible adult population couldn’t care less about elections. So the voter participation data from the secretary’s office must be discounted by 24% to produce the real participation rate, and the real participation rate in the recent municipal elections was not 33% but more like 25%. 

Similarly, though Connecticut’s voter participation rate in the 2020 national election was officially reported as 80%, the real participation rate was more like 61%, and though the participation rate in the 2022 state election was officially reported as 58%, the real rate was more like 44%.

The implication here is that nearly 40% of Connecticut’s legal adult residents don’t care much about their country and more than half don’t care much about their state.

What explains the lack of participation in municipal elections?

Of course municipal government may be considered less important than state government, which in turn may be considered less important than national government. But then voters may have more contact with and influence on municipal government than the others.

What explains the lack of participation in elections generally? That is, what explains the lack of caring by so many people even about their country and state?

One might like to think it is because people are disgusted by political leaders and alienated from politics. If that is the case, then people at least would know something about their government. 

But it is more likely that participation in elections is low because civic engagement and patriotism are declining. Many people can’t identify major elected officials in the state and their towns. Young people long have graduated from high school without knowing what the three branches of government are, nor when the Civil War and the world wars were fought and what happened during them, nor anything about the heroism and sacrifices of the country’s armed forces in defense of the nation’s freedom and the heroism and sacrifices of the civilians who worked to expand that freedom.

Indeed, many Connecticut residents and Americans generally take their freedom and standard of living for granted. 

It all seems like the old corruption of prosperity. A country ascends with the basic virtues of work, learning, thrift, faith, and hope, only for later generations to consider their prosperity to be the natural order of things, not something that has to be constantly earned again.

Yes, freedom isn’t free. Nearly everyone has to do some work to maintain a community, a state, and a country. 

Woody Allen said 80% of success is just showing up. What will become of Connecticut and the country now that half the people are not showing up?

 

Chris Powell has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years. (CPowell@cox.net)

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Pig Iron Films elevates storytelling in Northwest CT

Ted Perotti edits a project at his North Canaan-based studio, Pig Iron Films.

Patrick L. Sullivan

NORTH CANAAN — Filmmaker Ted Perotti’s cinematography captures the Northwest Corner with pride.

Perotti, who graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 2016 and Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 2020, has a video production company, Pig Iron Films, and a look at the projects listed on the website underscores Perotti’s commitment to his hometown and the Northwest Corner.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cornwall revisits options to protect covered bridge from tall trucks

A landscaping truck got stuck in West Cornwall’s covered bridge Thursday, April 3.

Shepherd Myers

CORNWALL — Another truck got stuck in West Cornwall’s covered bridge this month, prompting the town selectmen to discuss solutions at a meeting of the Board April 15.

The bridge, located over the Housatonic River on Route 128, is maintained by Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sharon increases rent for Robin Hood Radio

SHARON — At a town meeting that lasted about five minutes Thursday, voters approved renewing the lease for town-owned 67 Main St., the building adjacent to Town Hall that houses Robin Hood Radio.

The rate will increase from $1,975 to $2,250 per month.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cartoon time at Hunt

Eli Sher made excellent popcorn for the audience for a showing of animated versions of Grimm’s Fairy Tales based on Eric Carle’s Storybook and co-produced by Falls Village’s C.B. Wismar.

Patrick L. Sullivan

FALLS VILLAGE — Visitors to the David M. Hunt Library on Friday, April 18, were treated to a screening of somewhat obscure cartoon versions of Grimm’s fairy tales, based on Eric Carle’s Storybook and co-produced by Falls Village’s own C.B. Wismar in 1977.

Hunt Director Meg Sher said that Wismar showed up one day with a box of 16mm prints of the cartoons and donated them.

Keep ReadingShow less