FROM THE EDITOR: On Tuesday, Remember This ...
... despite the handwringing and endless warnings of doom and gloom, Democracy in America remains vital. Apathy and ignorance, however, could undermine it -- more than any one politician.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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“It is clear we must head down the right path … because if we don’t, Virginia is lost.”
—Gov. Glenn Youngkin
“Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
—Jay Jones, candidate for Attorney General
To watch candidates on the campaign trail is to be drawn into ever-escalating rhetoric about the fate of democracy as Election Day draws near and the reality that only one candidate can win a given race sets in.
Speaking at a rally this week for Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, sitting Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave his version of the “this is the most important election of your life” speech that tends to surface when Election Day gets measured in hours, not days.
“Let me be really clear, standing in the middle is not a choice,” Youngkin said Saturday. “It is clear we must head down the right path … because if we don’t, Virginia is lost.”
Unlikely.
Jay Jones hasn’t said Virginia is lost should his Republican opponent, Attorney General Jason Miyares, wins, but he has consistently suggested that a Miyares win would pull Virginia closer to the MAGA movement and draw it closer into Donald Trump’s vortex.
“No one has done more for Trump in Virginia than Jason Miyares,” says one Jay Jones ad.
Again, unlikely.
Democracy never feels further away than in the waning days of an election.
To anyone who chooses to pay attention, however, democracy is showing yet again that it is viable and responsive even as rumors of its death continue to dominate popular opinion.
The Power Is Still with the Voters
Government by design moves slowly. This can give the impression that the people in power are unresponsive to everyday citizens. In recent weeks, however, evidence that people in power are responsive to voters has been evident.
The pending expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars, for example, has proven a bridge too far for Gov. Youngkin.
Youngkin has aligned himself with Trump and the MAGA movement throughout his governorship. The SNAP crisis, however, has pushed him to act. This past week he announced the creation of the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) program that will cover Virginians enrolled in SNAP during the federal shutdown.
Yes, Youngkin took every opportunity to place blame on U.S. Senate Democrats during his press conference announcing the temporary program.
“To be honest, I think our nation will be in a state of complete disarray if the Democrats in the Senate continue to drag out this complete shutdown and hostage-taking that they have engineered,” Youngkin said.
But voter anger over the lapse in funds coupled with Virginia’s massive rainy-day fund meant the governor — despite Donald Trump’s misguided claims that SNAP mainly benefits Democrats — could not afford to ignore a crisis that would potentially leave some 850,000 Virginians hungry.
Nor could he ignore the potentially decisive blow his inaction might deal to Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign, which has struggled since she announced her candidacy. In the last poll before the election, the Emerson Poll has her trailing Spanberger by 11 points.
Jay Jones is feeling the voters’ ire, too, and reacting. Jones appeared on track to win the attorney general’s race by a relatively comfortable margin. And then text messages emerged in which he brazenly spoke of killing a Republican member of the house. On top of that, Virginians also learned that Jones had also been arrested for driving in excess of 115 mph in a 70 mph speed zone.
The result? Jones and Miyares are locked in a dead heat according to the latest Emerson poll, as voters have clearly taken notice and are re-evaluating who they will support.
And then there is the Virginia House. All 100 seats are up this election period, and despite Youngkin’s popularity, the Republicans are facing strong headwinds heading into Tuesday.
Actions by Donald Trump — federal job cuts, tariffs, and ICE activity — have riled up Virginia voters. The result? Democrats are predicted to expand their current narrow lead in the House by some 9 seats, according to State Navigate.
If correct, such an outcome would mark a complete turn from four years ago when Youngkin took control in Richmond and appeared unstoppable.
Yes, voting matters.
A Toxic Pairing
An argument against voting’s importance could be that politicians ignore citizens until a crisis emerges. Hence, these are examples not of voting’s importance, but that the system is working poorly.
Perhaps, but more likely is the reality that Americans’ dismal attitude toward politics, coupled with apathy toward voting and a rising ignorance of basic civics explains why crisis seems to be what moves politicians to action.
In short, because we are unengaged, politicians only feel pressure when things reach breaking points.
This is the only real threat to the republic.
Apathy toward voting — a longstanding issue in the U.S. — is nothing new. There are signs, however, that it is getting worse. Especially among younger voters.
As one 26-year-old told PBS NewsHours following a poll showing an increase in younger voters’ apathy toward the exercise, “I can’t say either way that voting matters …. It’s just picking the least bad option. That’s what I remember my whole life — both sides are bad, but this side is less bad.”
More worrisome is that this apathy is combining with a decline in awareness of how government works. It’s a toxic pairing.
A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that “more than 70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices, and other basic functions of our democracy.”
Fortunately, there are a number of initiatives underway to strengthen civics education. But education is just the first step.
What we must regain is confidence that citizens and voting matter. We must regain our heart for democracy.
The past several weeks has shown us that voters and citizens can push politicians to do what’s right. Yes, politicians will play the blame-game, but at the end of the day, when they sense that voters are turning, they will respond.
That is the message that must be made clear.
As Constitutional scholar Paul Carrese told a group recently at the University of Virginia, “Don’t despair about America, don’t be afraid of politics, don’t check out…. Our constitutional order isn’t self-perpetuating. It requires effort from its citizens, and that effort can be one of the most rewarding parts of a fulfilling life.”
Choosing not to vote demonstrates not just apathy, but a fundamental misunderstanding of the American system of government. There is no defense for failing to vote.
At the end of the day, we elect the politicians we deserve. If we’re unhappy with them, there’s one way — and one way only — to change it.
Vote.
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