The Secretary of State John Merrill estimated that turnout in yesterday’s primary run-off would be 15-18 percent. Many have pretended that this is a failure of the process, that we should beg people to register and vote.
This is a complete misunderstanding of the situation. We do not need to prod people to participate in the final act of the political process without educating them on what is happening beforehand. The founders never wanted the mob to rule. This is why the Senate was originally appointed and not elected.
Alexander Hamilton talked about this when he was explaining the reasoning for the Electoral College:
“It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations.”
Why this matters:
To put it in layman’s terms, Hamilton did not want dummies deciding who runs our country. An informed electorate is better than a large electorate. Mobs can be enticed, cajoled and corrupted, to vote for stuff.
To put it another way, a big turnout is bad for Alabama. When the electorate is small, the informed voter is more powerful. When the electorate is large, the informed voter is weakened.
These tweets by Brian Lyman of the Montgomery Advertiser reads like he is sad about low-turnout:
Votes still being counted from last night's runoffs, but as of late last night turnout was 12.62 percent. #alpolitics
— Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) July 18, 2018
But some large counties — woof. Less than eight percent of voters in Madison County came out, and just 9.49 percent of voters in Mobile did so. (Jefferson was at the statewide average.) #alpolitics
— Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) July 18, 2018
Mobile isn't all counted, so that number may rise, but those are still yikesville figures.
— Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) July 18, 2018
We should stop telling people how voting is their “duty” and how “people died for the right to vote.” Voting should be easy to do, but if you want to do your duty and honor those who died, get informed and then vote.
@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN
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