WHY
SHOULD
I
CARE?
Voter apathy versus a healthy democracy
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BY A MBER ST E A R NS ASTEARNS@N U VO . N ET
eing the worst at something tends to motivate people to work for change. In the 2014 general election, Indiana had the lowest voter turnout in the country with only 28 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. On November 3, Hoosiers will (hopefully) head to the polls to elect municipal leaders including mayors and city or
town council representatives. In Marion County, the mayors of Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Lawrence and Southport will be chosen as well as city council seats in those municipalities. Town council seats will be up for grabs in Speedway, Cumberland, Homecroft and Warren Park. Voter turnout in the 2011 municipal elections was, in a nutshell, pathetic. Only 13 percent of registered voters in Marion County participated in the re-
election of Mayor Greg Ballard. In the May primary that year only 9 percent of Indy residents determined who the candidates would be in November. With this year’s primary turnout coming in just over 7 percent, trends suggest as few as 11 percent of registered voters could select the next mayor of Indianapolis and seat a new city-county council. Low voter turnout is not unique to Indianapolis or Indiana. States all over the country have been battling with how
to get the general public more engaged in government and how to encourage folks to exercise their constitutional right. Voting trends are analyzed and surveyed by universities, advocacy groups and even the U.S. Census Bureau. The data looks at all sorts of variables including ethnicity, age, education, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, etc. The list goes on and on. Most of the data is geared toward voting S E E , A PA THY, O N PA GE 1 2
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APATHY,
trends in national elections. Determining how voters react in local elections is an even harder animal to wrestle.
NON-VOTER PROFILE
The Journey Begins
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Sara Hill
Hill always wanted to work with little kids, so after graduating high school, she went to Bowling Green State University, where she earned undergraduate and gradun Election Day, Sara Hill talks with her firstate degrees in education. She and her husband moved to graders about doing something she’s never done Noblesville in 2009, in part so they could be closer to his herself: voting. family in Lebanon. She and her husband don’t really bring The children’s lessons in democracy don’t get into the up politics much. nitty gritty of electoral politics or candidates’ stands on isShe knows she will have a somewhat greater stake in the sues, of course. They’re more about “voting process when her son starts attending public to decide on two different things,” Hill says. “In my opinion, school in Noblesville, but for now, politics Though the majority of Hoosier voters I feel like not on a federal, state and local level are off her have voted at least once in their lives, Hill is radar. voting is better hardly an exception: When local elections “In my everyday life, I don’t feel the efthan making an roll around, people stay away in droves. Only fect of some of the laws and policies that uneducated vote.” about 30 percent of eligible Indiana voters —Sara Hill are passed, so that’s another reason that it turned out for last year’s general election. doesn’t interest me very much,” Hill said. Why doesn’t Hill vote? And Noblesville’s coming elections aren’t exactly excit“In my opinion, I feel like not voting is better than making ing. Republicans dominate the local government – there an uneducated vote,” she said. are no Democrats on the city council – and Republican Hill, 35, lives with her husband and their toddler son in Mayor John Ditslear is running for his fourth term. May’s Noblesville, and she teaches full-time in the Carmel Clay primaries have essentially decided November’s results. Hill Schools. She’s busy, and it can take a lot of time to learn the says it’s easy to feel disconnected from the candidates. nuances of the issues and candidates’ stances on them. “I feel like sometimes our officials get elected because of “The health reform issues, I think that whole topic can popularity, not because of what they stand for,” Hill said. be really confusing, and immigration…. all of those things Is it the candidates’ responsibility to get people excited are things that are familiar, but things I just don’t feel like I about their ideas? Or are people obligated to educate understand and know enough about.” Hill said. themselves about the candidates? Should the state provide Getting to the polls can be a hassle, too. more accessible voting options? Or do many voters just “As a teacher, you’d have to take a day off to even go lack the initiative to go to the polls? vote,” said Hill. “Sometimes it’s the process of the polling All questions I’m looking forward to examining as I follow place and being able to be there to actually physically vote.” Sara Hill leading up to the November elections. n She’s never really considered absentee or early voting options. Growing up in South Bend, her parents voted, but she says Jill Sheridan Poulos lives in Carmel with her husband and their they never really talked about politics around the dinner table. two children. She is a reporter for 90.1 WFYI Public Media.
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BY JILL SHE RIDAN WFYI N EWS
12 COVER STORY // 09.09.15 - 09.16.15 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
In order to better understand why Indy residents don’t vote, NUVO, in partnership with 90.1 WFYI, decided to find a few and ask. The goal was simple — identify and find individuals who, based on our research, represented the typical resident who is registered to vote, but doesn’t exercise his or her right. Most registered non-voters are educated — most have college degrees or are currently in college. Socioeconomic levels range from poverty level to upper middle class. Ethnic groups — specifically African-Americans and Asian-Americans — may register to vote, but won’t make it to the polls. And women tend to vote more than men. Armed with this information we took to the streets and social media to find registered non-voters to ask the question: Why don’t you vote? Identifying registered non-voters and actually finding them, however, turned out to be harder than anticipated. In truth, finding someone willing to admit they don’t vote as well as explain why proved to be a challenge. The founding fathers felt a society governed through democracy was the best way for this nation to develop and representatives elected by the people was the fairest way for their voices to be heard. History has illustrated through women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement that voting is a right that is worth fighting for. It is also very personal and designed to be void of persecution through a secret balloting system. It’s not surprising that people weren’t jumping at the chance to share why they choose to vote or not to vote. But with some perseverance, we found two people. Meet Sara and Toran, a teacher and a college student who don’t vote, are willing to talk about why and are willing to learn more.
Electing Our Future The Indiana University Center for Civic Literacy (CCL) aims to be proactive on this front. Instead of trying to determine why people don’t vote in local elections, the CCL plans a series of events to inform voters on why local elections matter. In partnership with numerous civic organizations including the League of Women Voters, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, The Indianapolis S E E , A PA THY, O N PA GE 1 4
Electing Our Future A Healthy, Wealthy & Wise Indianapolis Join us in helping increasing informed engagement in the civic life of Indianapolis! The goal is to have more citizens vote in November and participate and volunteer between elections. To accomplish this, a series of thee public meetings will be held on the following dates:
MONDAY, SEPT. 21: How Does Indianapolis Work? This forum will explain how Unigov makes Indianapolis different from other cities, and how we finance our city services. TUESDAY, OCT. 6: What are the issues we face?
TUESDAY, OCT. 20: What do we want Indianapolis to look like in 5, 10, 15 years from now?
All forums will take place at the Indianapolis Public Library-Central Location
Clowes Auditorium (40 E. St. Clair Street) from 6-8 p.m.
FREE to attend and open to all ages — RSVP online at electingourfuture.com
#ElectingOurFuture SPONSORED BY: Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee Indiana Bar Foundation • Indiana Humanities Council Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center • Indy Chamber Indy Public Library • Indy Urban League IU Center for Civic Literacy • IUPUI League of Women Voters of Indiana • NUVO University of Indianapolis - Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives • WFYI
317-571-1677
617 3rd Ave SW, Carmel, IN 46032
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APATHY,
NON-VOTER PROFILE
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A
Toran Fiene
s a working college student, Toran Fiene is a state’s education system. busy guy. Life currently revolves around school at “Everyone takes government as a senior — when stuIUPUI, work at Ball Systems in Westfield and home dents are becoming or already are of voting age,” recalls in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. Toran. “It may just be a brief overview, but I personally felt He is a registered voter and keeps up with what people like I learned enough to at least know what a Senator or a are talking about. But when it comes to U.S. Representative does so I can determine municipal politics and elections, Toran says who I think is the best candidate for the job.” “Since I’ve been that’s unchartered territory. In Indiana, the concept of government of voting age, “I typically don’t really look at anything is introduced in first grade and is reiterlocally I’ve never locally because I feel like I’m rather ignorant really known who ated in the second grade. The third grade to what the elected positions are,” Toran curriculum looks at what defines governwould be the admits. “So how can I qualify someone?” ment services at the local, state and federal better candidate levels. Fourth graders get to learn about It’s a valid point and one that is rather or had a really common among people who are registered the structure of state government along strong opinion to vote, but choose to stay away from the with their Indiana history. The structure of about it. So I just the federal government is introduced in the polls on Election Day. “Since I’ve been of voting age, locally I’ve wouldn’t show up fifth grade curriculum, but is revisited again never really known who would be the better in the eighth grade, the 11th grade through to vote.” candidate or had a really strong opinion —Toran Fiene U.S. history and in the 12th grade as its own about it. So I just wouldn’t show up to vote.” semester class. Local government structure And it’s not just a lack of knowledge about the candiis not a part of the mandated curriculum. dates, but the positions and the structure of the municipal So where does someone go to learn about city and/or government system. county government structure? In Toran’s mind, a no vote is better than an uninformed vote. That is a great question. Comparatively, Toran says it’s easier to follow what Learning the difference between city and county governgoes on nationally because there is constant informament isn’t an easy venture for most Hoosiers across the tion out there — in the press, on the internet, etc. — that state. In Indianapolis, our joint city-county government make it easier and less time-consuming to learn about the system — affectionately known as UniGov — makes that candidates and the issues. However local elections and local education even more complicated. issues don’t get the same amount of mass media attention. Thankfully, Toran is willing to learn over the next few Municipal government is also overshadowed in our weeks leading up to Election Day. n 14 COVER STORY // 09.09.15 - 09.16.15 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
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Urban League and the Indianapolis Public Library, three forums between now and Election Day will aim to turn apathetic voters into informed voters. “Electing Our Future: What You Need to Know about Indianapolis Government In Order to Cast an Informed Vote” is the title of the forum series. “Local government really has the most direct effect on someone’s day-to-day life,” says CCL faculty member Sheila Suess Kennedy. However understanding that effect and from where it originates isn’t well known. Kennedy and the members of the Electing our Future committee hope the upcoming forum series will change that. All of the forums will be held at the downtown branch of the Indianapolis Public Library from 6 – 8 p.m. The forums are designed to be non-partisan — as Kennedy says, “No politics, no spin, just basic information that will help you evaluate the priorities and capacities of the candidates for mayor and council who are asking for your vote.” MON, SEPT. 21 How does Indianapolis Work? The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce will take responsibility for this initial presentation, and will include a brief description of where we are in the federal/state/local scheme of things; a discussion of home rule/ state authority; and a description of city structure: mayor, council, departments, municipal corporations and what each does. The forum will explain how Unigov makes Indianapolis different from other cities, and will describe how we finance city services. TUES, OCT. 6 What are the issues we face? The Center for Civic Literacy and the League of Women Voters will be lead partners for this forum. How does Indianapolis deal with change? With diversity? What do citizens need to know to make informed decisions on quality of life issues: environmental, public health, education, transportation, arts and culture, civic life? How do we identify and allocate dwindling resources—with resources broadly defined to include civic, corporate and religious organizations and nonprofits, sources of expertise, & civic energy. TUES, OCT. 20 What do we want Indianapolis to look like 5, 10, 15 years from now? If we want a city that is healthy, wealthy & wise, how do we get there? The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee will share insights from its Indy 2020 project. n
Top seven reasons why people don,t vote: Think their vote doesn’t count Too busy Registration requirements Apathy
WHY?
Lines are too long Don’t like the candidates Can’t get to the polls
(Zencollegelife.com)
COMING OCT. 21:
The 2015 NUVO voter guide! Information about local elections is out there if you know where to look. That’s why NUVO will bring you the 2015 VOTER GUIDE! We will break down the mayoral races in Indianapolis, Lawrence, Beech Grove, Southport and Bloomington as well as all 25 city-county council district races. (Don’t know what district you even live in? No worries — we’ll answer that question too!)
Follow Sara and Toran with NUVO and WFYI As the campaign season for the municipal elections ramps up and educational opportunities continue to grow, NUVO and WFYI will continue conversations with Sara and Toran as they learn about municipal government, the issues and the candidates. You can read about their progress in NUVO and on nuvo.net as well as listen for updates on 90.1 WFYI. There will also be opportunities to follow the conversation via Facebook and Twitter and voice your opinions with #ElectingOurFuture. Is municipal government important to you? Let us know about it. Tell us (and Sara and Toran) why they should care. If you’ve asked yourself the question “Why should I care?” when it comes local government, then follow us even closer.
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