LETTER TO THE EDITOR submitted to the Corvallis Gazette-Times today, June 4, 2011 by John H. Detweiler
On May 17, 2011, Corvallis voted on measure 02-74 - a levy to fund various programs that does not solve our financial problems. The numbers describing voter participation on the Benton County web site are at the county level and do not describe participation at the city level. They need to be massaged to get participation numbers at the city level.
The voter had three choices: Yes, No, or Abstain. Many people abstained and the levy passed by a wide margin -- by an almost 2 to 1 ratio. However, only 48% of the 27,678 voters bothered to vote. The rest abstained. In other words, the levy was passed by only 31% of the total voters in Corvallis -- an abysmal performance by the Corvallis voter.
At the sub-precinct level, the performance is both better and worse. Some sub-precincts voted in greater numbers and other sub-precincts voted in lower numbers. In the sub-precincts with the best turnout only 32% of the voters abstained. In the sub-precinct with the worst turnout 95% of the voters abstained. The definition of sub-precincts and details on performance of all Corvallis sub-precincts can be found at www.peak.org/~detweij
My conclusion is that not enough people care about local government to bother to send in their ballot -- which is sad. As always, we get the government we deserve and not necessarily the government we need.
John H. Detweiler
www.peak.org/~detweij
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