Electoral Duty

While today’s election may look unimportant because there are no races for president, governor or Congress to decide, it is far from it. Two ballot questions will have major impacts on Maine for years to come. If you care about property taxes and school funding, go vote. If you care about Maine’s future, with or without a casino, go vote. If you care about who sits on your town council and school committee, go vote.

Although off-year elections typically draw few voters, this year should be an exception. That is because Questions 1 and 3 have generated so much interest. Question 1 asks voters to decide how to boost state support for education while offering property-tax relief. Question 3, the most contentious and costly of the six items on the state ballot, asks whether voters support a casino run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation. Backers and opponents of the casino have spent nearly $10 million making this the most expensive campaign in state history. That is likely to translate into a lot of cash per vote cast today.

Even in off years, Maine remains a national leader in voter turnout, but the numbers are still small and vary widely. In 2001, only 22 percent of registered voters went to the polls. There were no contentious issues on the ballot. In 1999, when abortion and medical marijuana questions were on the ballot, 43 percent of voters went to the polls.

This year voters may be distracted by the ongoing conflict in Iraq, the ups and downs of the economy and the early days of the next presidential election. However, school funding and a casino, with the problems and promises it may bring, will have a greater impact on the lives of the people of Maine than these international and national issues. So will their votes on slot machines at horse tracks, bond issues for higher education, pollution controls and transportation projects. Ditto for their choices of candidates for local boards.

Voter turnout tells politicians how serious the electorate is about the pressing issues of the day. A high turnout today will send a powerful message: Not only do voters care about the future of their state, they are willing to take a few minutes to do something about it.