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Published on 05/18/1998 All articles from this issue

Yawn - is it time to vote again ?

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By David L. Grey

What if they held an election and few chose to join in? Next Tuesday's California primary will declare winners and losers, and narrow the candidates for November, of course. And there are several state propositions that should be getting at least some impassioned numbers.

But, overall, early voter turnout forecasts appear underwhelming and are partly reinforced by limited attendance at such events as the League of Women Voters-sponsored forum for county candidates May 13 at Mountain View City Hall (audience of at best, 30). Attendance at last Wednesday's forum on the propositions at the Los Altos Main Library was better, but strong voter turnout remains to be seen.

We can attribute it to apathy over the gubernatorial choices, disillusionment over politics in general and certain politicians in specific, negative advertising campaigns, confusions over proposition wordings and intentions or consequences, the new open primary, virtually uncontested races or almost anything.

Forget not, thus, limited news media attention - sometimes indifferent, cynical. The so-called fourth branch of government is supposed to be one big watchdog over the electoral process.

Instead, many newspapers and magazines and a lot of television and radio are seemingly going through the motions of superficial, shortened, "buried" news coverage before June 2. Let the ads do it?

Much of this could change by early Tuesday, but - as of this writing - don't count on a lot more than obviously increased frequencies of news items, summaries. Critique the media yourself, remembering to factor out most paid political ads, and you will be able better to judge powers of the polls, press and horse-race news.

Newspapers especially are known to have their potentially greatest contributions in the more obscure, usually local races and issues through what and who is covered or not and endorsed or not.

This go around simply does not have much to localize. Television, in particular, has moved in to saturate our images, overlapping often with its own advertising, which is commonly even more potent in reinforcing impressions and a few memorable one-liners.

Somewhere in between can be gaping question marks, such as when we are asked to vote with knowledge (!) on judges or other obscure political candidates. So, help is needed, But: Beware our voter Information Guide/Ballot Pamphlet with those fourscore of mostly all-white, smiling faces greeting us unless you have already started to weigh carefully the candidates' platforms.

And those propositions do depend so much on who is attached to the arguments, pro and con, and rebuttals to arguments, pro and con. Just do not procrastinate too long here, either.

Why? Because in large part we seem to be more on our own next Tuesday than in many previous elections. Oh, we can still clip and carry or memorize last-minute endorsements, but such checklists are hardly what press freedom was and is all about.

We are, instead, supposed to be a truly informed, well-in-advance, electorate.