Low primary voter turnout tells politicans we’re not paying attention

The May 4 primary elections have come and gone and, in our district, we had a disappointing 14 percent of registered voters to participate in the primary elections. This is highly disappointing for numerous reasons. When unemployment is in double digits in our state and country and we have politicians in Washington who have, once again, failed to deliver what they promised to their supporters, you would expect people to be much more willing to exercise their privilege, not right, to vote.

When some criticize the younger citizens for not becoming involved in the political process in the future, they should be asked, "Did you vote in the primary election in May?" We are not only becoming irresponsible for refusing to replace politicians who have made a career out of producing and campaigning off strong rhetoric and we are leaving a terrible precedent for future generations to follow. We must examine, question and follow the actions of our elected officials as much as we can because when we stay onto them, they know better than to lie or mislead the people that they "represent." Those who choose to ignore the will of the people should be replaced as soon as possible, not given another chance to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. It is now up to us if we decided to pay attention and then actually participate.

It is time to prove to our politicians that we know what they are doing and we know how they are doing it. They still believe that they can easily convince the people to vote for them just because they have great offers. But when it comes time to deliver those promises and offers, they back away and lose the spine that they pretended to have while campaigning. We need experienced candidates who understand the stress and troubles that the American people are forced to face, not candidates who have always had a silver spoon in their mouth. We must have candidates and elected officials who stand by true values and morals in which they live their lives by, not a set of values that was developed due to a run for a public office. If we continue on this path of dependency, irresponsibility and laziness, our failures will rise and our accomplishments, as a country and a people, will decrease. Let's reenergize ourselves and set a good example for those that will be running the country soon. Remember that the next generation's decisions will be vital to the future of our country. Do we really want to set a precedent that includes laziness and irresponsibility or one of accomplishment, education and boldness? You decide. Maybe we can do better in two more years.

— Colby D. Carr, chairman
Burke County TACS

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3 thoughts on “Low primary voter turnout tells politicans we’re not paying attention

  1. Bert

    I’m sorry this is total bs. You had genuine progressives like Patsy Keever and Wilson challenging Shuler. You had Elaine Marshal saying she will fight to end our occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Don’t try to spend your laziness and apathy into something it’s not. If your only choice was Heath Shuler you would have a better argument.

  2. Bert

    “We need experienced candidates who understand the stress and troubles that the American people are forced to face, not candidates who have always had a silver spoon in their mouth.”

    Keever will be a thorn in the side of the wealthy and powerful in NC. You obviously didn’t bother reading the actual policy positions of the candidates running.

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