Letter To Editor - “Politics - It’s The Town’s Apathetic Numbers Challenging Elections?”

A Mere PITTANCE!

“Politics - It’s The Town’s Apathetic Numbers Challenging Elections?”

The low voter turnout in the November 5 election was appallingly apathetic and most disturbing.  While all the Nay Sayers, political pundits and scientists, editors, media outlets and letter writers reflect on HOW it happened, they did not get WHY it happened.  The simple answer is, and this is just my simple observation, not many people came out to Vote.    Huh?  Candidates, political party leaders and issue orientated groups, put their messages out there, not only to their respective party or organization members, but the entire universe.  The Blogger’s, the Twitterer’s, the E-Mailer’s, the Snail Mailer’s, the Front Lawn Signer’s and the Door-to-Door canvasser’s Universe.  There were no secret agendas or attempts to suppress the votes. The date of the election was widely published, voting systems were fully operationally and polls were opened for 15 hours, to accommodate every voter’s busyschedules and lifestyles.  So what happened?  Again, in my simplistic opinion, not many people voted.

Here’s how the voter turned out in Smithtown. Of the 80,361 eligible voters (those residents who are registered to vote) almost 23-25% voted.  That means 75% of the voting population choose not to vote!  And this meager turnout was a little higher than votes cast across Long Island and New York City.  Smithtown’s voter percentages were even a little higher than the national average. Which is worse, having an election and hardly anybody show up or electing public officials where a few folks decide for the many?

So there you have it. And before all the Monday morning quarterbacks, the “I told you so’s,” the “breast beaters” and the “I’ve been there” sect, pontificate on what the unsuccessful candidate, or the winners, or any of the political party committees should have done in this past election cycle, here’s some information for you.  Not a lot of people came out to vote.

One last thought.  “Refusal to act proactively or creatively or energetically has been a big factor in the town’s decline…and there is little reason to expect …change!”  (Newsday editorial, November 6.)   “Change is the law of life.  And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”  (President John F. Kennedy.)  You get what you vote for or not vote for!

Richard S. Macellaro,

1^st Vice-Chair, Smithtown Democratic Committee

(Richard was a candidate for Town Council)