Consider This...

November 17, 2006

What if they had an election and nobody came?

North Carolinians largely ignored the 2006 elections, posting a dismal estimated turnout of 31% of registered voters, well below the previous record low of 42%.

Sure, it was a “blue moon election,” with no big names at the top of the ballot. Sure, it rained in many parts of the state.

But there were still plenty of races to get excited about. Angry voters had plenty of scandal to motivate them on both sides of the aisle, and happy voters had many reasons to reward incumbent state legislators.

Yet fewer than one in three bothered to vote. North Carolina ought to be even more committed to doing whatever it takes to remove barriers to participation.

That means an independent redistricting commission to draw fair boundaries for competitive districts. That means major campaign finance reform to allow for more candidates who are not independently wealthy. And that means better ballot access for third-party candidates.

In particular, that means enacting same-day voter registration, so that arbitrary deadlines do not prevent citizens from exercising one of their most fundamental rights.

Extreme right-wingers will tell you ghost stories about the potential “voter fraud” that same-day registration might invite. There’s no evidence at all to support that fear, however; maybe it tells you more about the fear-mongers themselves.