By Micah Fyock, Contributing Writer
In this current political climate, many Americans struggle with what to do when election season comes crawling around the corner. Voting is a high stakes issue, and when a person does not have strong feelings about politics, that person may choose to not vote at all. Let’s call this person the politically dispassionate voter — someone who might not feel a strong conviction to fight for a side, someone who maybe feels discouraged because of a dissociation with political parties, someone who may not immediately recognize the importance of his or her own vote.
Just because someone doesn’t feel strongly about political topics does not mean he or she should abstain from voting. Not voting in an election doesn’t express dispassion. Not voting expresses nothing, as though one’s voice does not even exist to the American government. Not having a stance is a stance, and it deserves to be recognized.
According to a 2014 Pew Research Center poll, “Political Polarization in the American Public,” 21 percent of American voters express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions. 39 percent consider themselves “mixed.” 78 percent of the consistently conservative voters claimed to “always vote,” and 58 percent of consistently liberal voters claimed the same. Only 39 percent of mixed voters claimed that level of dedication to voting. The miniscule number of middle-ground Americans who actually vote in every election is heartbreaking.
“It makes intuitive sense that those with the strongest ideologies show the most interest in voting,” said Paul Steenkiste in his article “The Effect of Voter Turnout on Political Polarization.” “After all, they likely have the most passion for their candidates, the most defined stances on issues and the most antipathy for the opposition.”
