There have been lots of political high-points in the past 20 years or so, but I have to give the nod to the Democratic voters of Nevada. They may be starting a trend that might upset America’s political apple cart.
The Nevada Democratic primary for governor was June 10, 2014. According to the Associated Press, eight potential candidates (all men) were on the ballot. In order for one of the candidates to win, he would have had to exceed 30 percent voter support. That didn’t happen. In fact, the “candidate” who received most of the votes from the 21,000 registered Democrats who voted was “None of these candidates.”
According to multiple sources, the candidate who finished behind “None,” was a candidate who had run twice before – and lost. By state law, they have to stick his name on the ballot – and good luck there. Before we go any further, to all the Republicans out there, the same thing happened to Republicans in Nevada back in 1976.
Yes, it is scary
As you might imagine, the social media exploded with glee at the results. None of the above wins in Nevada. It is easy to make jokes such as “None of the above refuses to make an acceptance speech,” or “None promises no platform and no campaign slogans.”
However, behind the jokes are some realities that must be ethically addressed. There were eight candidates and not one of them seems to have connected with the 21,000 voters. How could such a thing happen? I would understand if there were both Democrats and Republicans and this was a local race, but these were all Democrats trying to select a Democratic candidate.
How could eight individuals fail to connect?
There have been many political studies that can provide clues. An excellent article appeared in the New York Times, on September 17, 2012, entitled: “Look How Far We’ve Come Apart” by Jonathan Haidt and Marc J. Hetherington. The article mentions several interesting trends.
For example, we are disliking more and more the other political party. If you are a registered Democrat chances are you can’t stand the Republicans more now than you couldn’t stand them a decade ago. Civility has ceased. It is getting worse with each passing administration. Neither side is happy with the other.
However that still does not explain Nevada.
We also know that the polls increasingly show that nobody trusts the government very much. Many voters are giving up any pretense of voting; that’s scary. When people stop voting, politicians don’t have to work as hard – and that’s very scary.
What ethics may be telling us
We are under no obligation to love each other’s political party, but we should try to care about this country we call home. We can criticize America all we’d like, but personally, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. The heart and soul of this nation is our election process.
I feel an obligation to hold my politicians (even those I despise) to a higher standard. We should not allow them to pass any laws they want, and we should not let them run unopposed.
It occurred to me that the good people of Nevada possibly accomplished one of the most ethical pieces of voter selection (or non-selection) than I have witnessed in years. What the voters of Nevada said were: “We can’t support these candidates. They don’t meet our expectations. We don’t like what they represent.”
My strong hope is that voters across America will push for a “None of these” vote on ever ballot in every state election. If we can get that accomplished, it would be great to have the same vote on every federal election as well.
No, I am not promoting chaos; rather order. Let them go back to their respective rooms and give us other possibilities. Perhaps, just perhaps, we’ll find politicians who appeal to us.