Why is voting so challenging for people? It’s a pretty simple process actually.
I live and work in Los Angeles County, California. On Tuesday, June 3, my family and I were excited about going to the polls to vote – it’s that rare time when we can physically and emotionally stick it to the Kochs and their cronies and show the world what we truly believe in. I love voting - don’t think I have missed a single Congressional primary or election since I turned 18 years old. I may be naïve, but I think the sun shines a little brighter on election day.
I sent an email message to all my coworkers on Tuesday reminding them to go vote, unnecessarily, I thought – never doubting that all engaged Californians were, like me, looking forward to exercising their franchise. I understand on an intellectual level that voter turnout is almost always disappointing, even in November elections, let alone June. But if my mail and phone experiences and my TV and print ad blizzards were like other Californians, the election should not have been a surprise to anyone. So, imagine my astonishment when I learned that fewer than 15 percent of my fellow Los Angeles County voters actually bothered to cast one – more than 85 percent stayed home. (As of today, the number stands at 13.5 percent, but it increases daily as provisional and absentee votes are counted – the final results won’t be official until July.)
Los Angeles County was both the largest county and so far the lowest turnout county in CA. Statewide the numbers are a little better – 21 percent and counting as of today. But still, when 3 out of 4 Californians don’t exercise their right to vote, the most fundamental encounter most of us will ever have with our government, I have to ask, what is wrong with us?
Well, just from my brief conversations with friends and co-workers, apparently primary elections are not taken too seriously ‘round here. After all, we still get another shot in November at voting the bastards out, right? I am not even going to discuss why giving up any chance to exercise our right to vote is a bad idea (think Ukraine, or Iran, or China, or Egypt, for example – in some places people are literally dying to be able to vote).
Then I noticed, checking out the Secretary of State election page, that the California county with the highest voter turnout was tiny Alpine County, way up in the Sierras near the Nevada border. The smallest county in California, Alpine County, 743 square miles in area, has just 776 registered voters – barely one voter per square mile. And last Tuesday, 532 of them cast a ballot, giving them a 69.5 percent turnout and making them the clear winner for turnout for this election. (Granted, that means that more than 30 percent of them did not vote, so obviously there is work to do, but still . . . ) I would like to propose that we all take a moment to thank and h/t the good folk living in Alpine County for their remarkable engagement with American politics – and I would suggest to the rest of us Californians that we can learn a lot from these people. I guarantee that every one of those voters got a real adrenalin rush out of their experience (as I did), not to mention having an inordinately large influence on the California political landscape (as I apparently didn’t).
So who are these people – these Alpine County folks – who vote so dutifully, even in off-calendar elections? Should I be concerned that a rural county is having such an inordinate influence on politics in my state? Isn’t that where the Republicans live?
Situated in the Sierras, their largest city, Markleeville, population 210, is located 30 miles south of South Lake Tahoe on Route 89. Their Wikipedia page states that farming, ranching, logging and most recently recreation are their principal income producing activities. Bear Valley offers 67 ski runs and access to 35 backcountry ski trails. Their biggest claim to fame is the annual bicycle race nicknamed Death Ride – 129 miles of rugged terrain that climbs 15, 000 feet through 5 mountain passes (once in each direction) and draws thousands of cyclists each year.
It is certainly true that historically, Alpine County has voted “R”. Between 1920 and 2000, they voted for a Democrat for President only twice (FDR both times). But in 2000 things began to change in Alpine County, who knows why? Dubya won their hearts and their votes in 2000 by a slim 3% margin, but by 2004, they had finally seen the light, and went for Kerry by a solid 9%. In 2008 and 2012, they were voting for Obama by 25 and 24% margins.
So how did they vote on Tuesday? Just looking at the top of the ticket, Jerry Brown easily won their votes for Governor, with a 58.3% share, up against 14 other candidates. [For those who are not aware, California now holds open primaries – anyone can vote for anyone.] That is significantly higher than Brown’s 54.1% share statewide, and even challenges his 59.8% tally in Democratic Los Angeles County. For Lt Governor, Democrat Gavin Newsome received 54.9% in Alpine, compared to 49.6% statewide and 56.6% in LA County. Sounds very promising to me.
Alpine County is currently represented in Congress by Repub Tom McClintock (‘yes’ on Ryan budget, ‘yes’ on Obamacare repeal, 93% rated by NRA). But Alpine is a small fraction of McClintock’s district. Even so, last Tuesday, 50% of Alpine voters chose McClintock over his 2 opponents. But there was no Dem on the ballot against him. The good news – the only non-Republican running, independent Jeffrey Gerlach, picked up 37%, and had only entered the race 2 months earlier. McClintock could be in for an interesting run come November.
I have never been to Markleeville, Bear Valley, or Kirkwood. Everything I know about Alpine County I learned in the last 4 hours. But based on these facts, I am impressed and excited about the ability of people to make sound choices, and their enthusiasm for engaging in the electoral process. Now if I can only get Los Angeles equally fired up.
And I should point out here, if anyone is still reading, one big reason the turnout was so high is a direct result of its small size and rugged terrain - Alpine is the only California county that votes 100% by mail. Which leads me to conclude that absentee voting may be a good way if not the best way to defeat the voter suppression laws that the Repubs are so fond of passing across the country.
6:58 PM PT: Whoops, I just noticed that the Death Ride does not actually involve 10 climbs through 5 passes. In fact Monitor and Ebbets Passes are traversed in both directions, but Carson Pass is scaled once to the peak, then a turnaround brings you back to Markleeville - for a total of 5 climbs through 3 passes. There are also shorter variants of the Death Ride that require fewer climbs and less distance. Sorry if I misled anyone. Please check the Death Ride link and read the description for more information. And note that registration for this year's ride on July 12, 2014 is now closed.