Does you vote really matter? Don't get me started!

Every election cycle I think ‘how can things get any worse than this one?’ And I don’t mean with the underhanded antics of the people running and the political meanness we see at every turn. I mean how can things get any worse in terms of voter participation, interest and engagement?

In the weeks leading up to this week’s primary, I came to realize how many people I encounter in my daily life who didn’t realize we had a primary election on June 11. Many thought they had to register by party to participate in the primary. Others just plain didn’t care. Most had no idea who they would see on their specific ballot on Tuesday.

This concerned me more than it probably should have since I had no real dog in any fight this cycle. But I took to my social platforms, text groups and daily interactions with people to encourage them to vote. 

I shared resources I thought might help. The Election Commission’s website is a goldmine of information to help people look at sample ballots and find out where to vote. The new SC Daily Gazette did a great job of publishing stories like the one quoted below that broke down the primary election process.

I have no idea if any of this encouraged one voter or made clear a rather complicated process, but the political nerd in me is glad I tried.

On Tuesday evening, I watched the returns with the TV tuned to SCETV's excellent coverage and two screens constantly refreshing the online returns from the Election Commission.

Today, I devoured my three favorite political podcasts (The SC Lede from SC Public Radio, From the Dome to Your Home from the Municipal Association and Bourbon in the Back Room hosted by former senators Vincent Sheheen and Joel Lourie) listening to various takes on what happened in different elections. Four conclusions about this election cycle crystalized in my head:

1 – We have a voter participation problem in South Carolina. Only 13 percent of the state’s 3 million registered voters turned out on Tuesday.

2 – Good old-fashioned door knocking can still get results as a campaign strategy even in this era of digital micro-targeting, dark money mailings and robocalls.

3 – There’s a whole lot of nastiness going on. Some good people lost because of that. Some good people won in spite of that.

4 – Your vote really does count. Ask the state senator who lost by a mere 31 votes.

My entire 35+ year career has been spent in and around government and politics – federal, state and local. I’ve worked for campaigns, elected officials, government agencies and been around the General Assembly for three decades. I’ve watched good people lose for the wrong reasons. I’ve watched good people win for the right reasons. Our democracy isn’t a perfect system, but it’s served us well for over 250 years.

But we’ve got to do better! If you’ve got a primary run-off in your district, go vote on June 25! If you didn’t vote last Tuesday, you can still vote in the run-off. If you did vote last Tuesday, you can only vote in the run-off of the party you selected on Tuesday.

The graphic below (courtesy of this SC Daily Gazette article) notes every run-off election in the state on June 25. Use the Election Commission website for sample ballots and to get information on polling places for all of these run-offs. 

Graphic credit: SC Daily Gazette