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11/12/14

USA: What Does It Say That Two-Thirds of Americans Did Not Vote in the Recent Midterm Elections?-by Byron Williams

At his post-midterm election press conference, President Barack Obama noted that two-thirds of the electorate did not vote.

How could it be in a democratic republic that 66 percent of the people trusted 33 percent to stand proxy for their interest? Can we cavalierly blame voter suppression tactics for this dissatisfaction?

The president's astonishing statement could alleviate some Democrats of the self-reflective pressure of addressing the reasons they loss seats in Colorado and North Carolina, with a race in Virginia that was supposed to be a cake walk where Democratic incumbent Mark Warner after several days was declared the victor?

The tragic irony remains that the two-thirds who did not vote still voted. They voted for the status quo that has left them frustrated and beyond hope.

There are many possibilities for two-thirds of the electorate staying at home. There is the fact that midterm elections always produce lower turnout than general elections.

But there are other possibilities that require further examination. Has the novelty of Barack Obama run its course?

Think back to the exuberance in 2008. The excitement of young people getting into the political process for the first time, the tears shed by Americans of all races because they were seeing something they never thought possible.

But the excitement of the campaign soon gave way to the complexities of governing. Did they believe that working to elect the first black man as president completed the job, or did they naively think that once elected the president would take care of everything else?

Read more: What Does It Say That Two-Thirds of Americans Did Not Vote in the Recent Midterm Elections? | Byron Williams

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