Mitt Romney, Peter Corroon, and Utah's lack of civic participation

At Last Night's Town Hall debate, KSL's Bruce Lindsay pointed out in a question that Utah ranks 48th out of the 50 states in voter turnout (based on percent of citizens over 18 who turn out to vote). Acting Governor Herbert said that the solution to the problem was ethics reform. I missed Mayor Corroon's answer.

However, I think that Mitt Romney hit the nail on the head. From a post on this blog in 2007:

"I just came back from living in a state that was overwhelmingly Republican," Romney told the [Commonwealth] magazine [in July 2002]. "And a single-party system generates problems, in my view. In that state, the more extreme wing of the dominant party begins to have more and more political sway, and that de-energizes the great mainstream of citizens. They get turned off by politics and offended by the politicians and become less engaged in the political process."

Of course, in 2002, Romney was running to be the Republican Governor of an overwhelmingly Democratic state.

Hmmm, sounds familiar.

-Bob

We're no longer last in voter turnout.

DesNews:

Despite regular encouragement by local civic and religious leaders, Utah suffered the second-worst voter turnout in the nation in last November's election, according to estimates released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

It estimated, based on surveys, that only 53.1 percent of U.S. citizens in Utah age 18 or older voted in that presidential election, even though the election also featured a Utah governor's contest, and legislative, county and school board races on the November ballot.

Nationally, 63.6 percent of eligible Americans participated in the election.

"That's so unfortunate," said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen about Utah's poor showing. "I think that so many Utahns believe the presidential election is a foregone conclusion. And the Legislature has made it more inconvenient to register to vote."

Only Hawaii had lower turnout as only 51.8 percent of its eligible citizens voted. Minnesota had the nation's highest voter turnout at 75 percent.

But Utah's poor showing was still sort of an improvement over the midterm races in 2006, when Utah finished dead last in the nation with only 36.7 percent of citizens voting. (Turnout is always much higher in presidential election years.)

Maybe we get the Legislature we deserve here in Utah.

Who Will Stand For An Ethical Government?

RaDene Hatfield, Democratic Candidate for Senate District 16:

On Saturday, after hearing yet another person say “I can not publically contribute time or money to your campaign. Your opponent is vindictive and if I support you he will retaliate against me” – my husband looked at me and said, “I’m sure glad we are not afraid of that man.”

We’re not. But that doesn’t mean that it is fun to be where we are right now. Besides the people who have said they are too afraid to publically support me, I’ve heard story after story of unethical and corrupt practices among our elected State Representatives and Party Leaders. And yet those people who seek me out to tell me these stories say, “You can’t use my name or reveal the industry I represent”. What then am I suppose to do with the ‘hearsay’ I am presented with? I do not have the time or the resources to serve as an investigative reporter or public prosecutor! I am a candidate. And frankly it is taking all my family has for me to be a candidate. There are days when I feel like we are the only ones willing to stand up and say, “Enough is enough. We want ethical representative government. We will pay the price in time and money to make sure we have it.”

[...]

our elected leaders can not govern alone. We the people must be actively engaged in the government of our communities. That is because the best solutions to the problems that face us are ones that grow up out of respectful and thoughtful consideration of the needs and wants of all the people.

If the people are silent, whether because of apathy or fear of retaliation we have crossed into a dangerous place – one where truly our ‘constitution is hanging by a thread’. From what I have heard these past few weeks, we are at that dangerous place.

So what are we going to do? I know what Harlan and I are doing. Will you join us? Will you stand up, without fear of retaliation, with hope and faith in the good people of our town and say “Enough is enough. I want ethical representative government. I too will contribute time or money to help elect a candidate that will represent me and my values and will do so with integrity.”