My Two Cents is a weekly opinion column from Bethesda resident Joseph Hawkins. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BethesdaNow.com.
Montgomery County frequently feels like some kind of la la land. Yes, a “dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of life.”
When Democrats fail to show up to vote (and we failed miserably back in June) the solutions to get voters out to vote are to register more voters and to task force us into submission.
Only in Montgomery County do we get a task force established to make sure objectives of another task force work. That’s one of the solutions proposed by our la la land movers and shakers.
But we cannot force civic duty, which is really what voting is about.
My view on voting is admittedly simplistic. I vote each and every election because it is my civic duty. If it’s cold outside, I go to the polls and vote. If the lines are long, I stand in line (with a good book) until it is my turn to vote. If the candidates stink, I hold my nose and vote. I vote, period!
(By the way, one probably should take a book when heading out to the polls. On average, Maryland voters wait more than half an hour before getting a ballot in their hand. I have waited that long several times at my own voting location — Pyle Middle School.)
Would making it easier to vote please me? Sure. Open primaries, early voting and some other techniques have been suggested or implemented in part to encourage better turnouts.
I’d love to be able to wake up, roll over, turn on my Ipad and begin clicking boxes. I could even get use to Colorado’s all-mail voting system, in which ballots are automatically mailed to all registered voters. Why are other states so far ahead of Maryland when it comes to making it easier to vote?
Still, election officials could do nothing to our current system and I’d still show up to the polls.
Nov. 4 is just around the corner. Will more Montgomery County residents exercise their civic duty?
Or will we once again, collectively demonstrate that we really don’t give a hoot about who we elect in our la la land?
Joseph Hawkins is a longtime Bethesda resident who remembers when there was no Capital Crescent Trail. He works full-time for an employee-owned social science research firm located Montgomery County. He is a D.C. native and for nearly 10 years, he wrote a regular column for the Montgomery Journal. He also has essays and editorials published in Education Week, the Washington Post, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He is a serious live music fan and is committed to checking out some live act at least once a month.
