Have You Voted Yet?

While the 2010 primary election day is May 4, calling it “election day” these days is quite the misnomer.

The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections began mailing out absentee ballots on March 15 and will continue to do so for all requests made by April 27th.

Don’t have a stamp?

Well, don’t worry.  Starting April 15, an as yet undetermined number of “one stop” early voting locations will be made available across the county.  They will remain open through May 1.

Despite the effort and expense that goes into making voting “easier” for the general public, turnout in non-Presidential elections remains anemic.  In the November 3, 2009 election, Mecklenburg County voter turnout was only slightly higher than 21%.

Compare that to last Sunday’s (amazingly one day long) election in Iraq where despite the constant threat of terrorist violence, the Iraq election commission announced that 62% of Iraqis had voted.

It comes down to desire. All the tax money in the world can be spent to open early voting locations and handle the paperwork surrounding absentee requests, but if the people are unmotivated to vote or complacent with the status quo, it really doesn’t matter.