You should not be able to complain if you do not vote
COMMENTARY
Patrick Jennings

I’d like to take this space on the opinion page to thank the good people of California for starting all this recall mess. I have nothing invested in who comes out on top. But still, I’d like to thank the 1.6 million people who signed petitions to recall Gov. Gray Davis, and the three judges who lengthened the ordeal by five months, for turning California into the laughingstock of American politics.

You see, I’m from Florida and I’m sick and tired of recount jokes from the 2000 presidential election. It doesn’t matter that I try to be a concerned citizen and vote in every election I can. The same bad jokes in my math classes still pop up. But now, after nearly three years of mockery and derision, the mantle has been passed to all those Californians.

I don’t care if it’s selfish, I don’t like being associated with the way not to run an election. At least I can defend myself and say my county got the same vote totals on the first count and the recount. Californians, on the other hand — I can’t think of anything to spare them.

But the more I think about it, the worse I feel about any election being ridiculed. I happen to be a big fan of democracy and the electoral process. I’m not going to write about the glories of the system like a freshly minted political science professor, but it’s a good system. When the system becomes fodder for Leno and Letterman, bad things start to happen.

Voter turnout keeps decreasing with each passing election. People already think that voting doesn’t matter. I can’t count the number of my fellow students who feel that way. And no, that’s not because I’m from Florida and can’t count very high.

As the campaign process becomes more expensive, more people get the feeling that they are insignificant next to the juggernauts of the Democratic and Republican parties.

It doesn’t help a bit when the election itself is portrayed as a comedy of errors. So not only are elections imposing, they’re stupid too. It’s hard to motivate people to give up their lunch hour and run to the polls for some farcical American ceremony.

In an effort to switch this downward trend in turnout, from 62 percent in the presidential election of 1960 to 51 percent in 2000, I’d like to propose a new law. From now on, you are not allowed to comment on any problems concerning the government unless you vote. You can’t talk about Bush going to Iraq, you can’t talk about the deficit, and you can’t even talk about street repairs. That’s right, if you don’t do something to put people in power who will fix your problems, you can’t complain about someone else who won’t. Penalties will range from small fines to citizens who really couldn’t get to a polling place on time to life imprisonment for political pundits who aren’t even registered to vote.

That may not work, but remember when you hear the next bad Schwarzenegger impression, voting does matter. And also, don’t make too much fun of Californians. Unless they elect Gary Coleman, of course.

Opinion editor Patrick Jennings is a junior economics major from Melbourne, Fla.