Angst – and hope – about Ohio’s weary voters, in a surprising response to a question

For people in Ohio despairing about the low voter turnout in the primary elections and in the overall apathy of state residents, we have some good news:

Some of your fellow Ohioans are actively working on ways to get more people engaged.

That’s a hopeful message and not one we expected to a text I sent last week in a community, where I share the stories the newsroom is working on or questions we are asking.

Here’s what I sent:

We usually step back after a primary election to reassess political coverage heading into the general election. The leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade could be an enormous game-changer, energizing voters, or not. A big problem in planning political coverage now is how few people are paying attention. Voter turnout was abysmal, especially in Cuyahoga County. We’ve noticed many people seem burned out on the vicious political scene. Readers ask us for more diversions from the news. All well and good, but if few pay attention or vote, we don’t have government by and for the people. How do we change that?

The responses numbered over 200. Many expressed angst about voter apathy. The messages largely broke down into two categories, the challenges society faces with people burned out by all the bad behavior of elected leaders and possible solutions for getting people back into the arena, to make change.

Here are some things they said about the hurdles:

I believe you face a significant challenge. It’s not just the current political environment. I believe that the voters in our area are beginning to believe their votes don’t have any impact. That doesn’t mean they don’t care, it means they don’t see any positive impact from voting. People were hoping that changing the structure of county government would put us on the right path, but that hasn’t happened. For example, the current county administration is, at best, inept. The lack of potential candidates with the skills and experience necessary for success is disheartening for voters. I hope your continuing coverage will generate more interest. Without it things will only get worse.

And,

Campaign strategists have convinced their candidates that staying on message on a very few red meat talking points will get them elected. The consultants have come to expect very light turnout which makes it easier to inspire their base to get out enough of their supporters to win a primary as well as a general election. The days of candidates focusing on their base during a primary and then focusing on the “middle” (moderates, independents & undecided voters) during the general election are behind us, unless the “middle” voters turn out in much greater numbers going forward. This will eventually happen when voters get so exasperated by their elected officials that they turn out in support of candidates who convince them that they know how and commit to governing. As Churchill once quipped “you can count on Americans to do the right thing…eventually”.

And,

I’ve considered stepping back just to take a breather but I realize that disengaging from the fight for honest political discourse only plays into the hands of those who are desirous of hijacking the conversation for personal gain or even more nefarious goals. I guess I’m hopeful that enough people will get fed up with the deceit and nastiness that a moderate third party will arise as I still believe that most people are not on the far right or far left fringes.

Such messages express a taut frustration, but they also express hope. We did not expect hope as a response. Fresh from the Tuesday primary, we thought we’d see a lot more cynicism. The news has been bad in the recent cycle. Ohio’s top Republican leaders, including the governor, conspired to violate the Ohio Constitution and abandon their duties to give the state fair voting maps. The non-stop commercials for the primary Senate campaign were vicious, cynical and focused on tapping into the basest emotions of voters. And in Cuyahoga County we’ve seen a non-stop stream of incompetent and venal decisions by the county executive and the council.

Why wouldn’t voters be cynical and without hope? With officials intentionally breaking the rules at just about every turn, why would voters express hope that things can change?

But they do.

If the system is so broken that the things we fight for are just busy work for the oppressed, maybe voting just doesn’t seem like an effective path any more. For that matter, neither is taking to the streets with big signs and clever chants. Maybe a viable solution is much more hyperlocal and communal, which means a shift in people’s time and energy, but also in their sense of ownership and responsibility when it comes to the society we co-create.

Not just hope, but these texters have ideas for making change. They sent inspiring notes about how we might move forward, to take control of government and re-establish the center lane where Ohio long had prospered. Here are a bunch:

What about stories about people who are politically engaged? What they are doing, how they do it, etc. If you’re going to write about how to garden (love that column) why don’t you write about how to be politically active. It’s difficult to not feel hopeless in this political environment, and information that mitigates that would be helpful. I am finding the Today in Ohio podcast to be a very helpful source of information on state and local politics. I recommend it all the time.

I am working with a group writing letters to potential voters with a short personal story about why I vote and urging them to vote also. Non-partisan although I am sure they’re going to likely Dem voters. My story is voting for climate change concern because my sis lives in AZ with fires, water shortages, extreme heat. Unlike mellow Ohio. Mailing all in October. They say it works. Fingers crossed but…

It occurred to me that what I’m tired of is voting for people. I do vote and I’m very judicious and read biographies and statements made by the candidates, but honestly, many are opportunists and will make promises they don’t keep. Some are obviously riding the coattails of Trump, and I cannot abide that because they change their views and their opinions of him like underwear just to get votes. So disingenuous. No integrity. What I would like to see is to have issues like the legality of abortion put to a popular vote. Let us have a voice in the issues that affect us directly instead of having politicians and courts decide.

For newspapers, given the extended period of early voting, a printed sample ballot early in the season and then either internet links to that page on a regular basis, or regular printing of the official board of election links to a sample ballot. I have never understood the seeming aversion of the daily paper or the Cleveland.com pages to such official or re-usable internal links to basic citizen information.

I would love the stats on what percentage of eligible residents are voting within Cleveland proper and its burbs. And within Cleveland, which neighborhoods/ethnic/age groups are not bothering to vote? It is hard to target groups who have not been identified. Can we have some demographics/analytics please? Then let’s discuss how to target the most indifferent of our electorate.

We change this by focusing more on what voting HAS given us…what the power of one can do for many, and what we stand to lose if we do not promote and participate to maintain democracy. Also, how early are people being taught about government? Who makes it interesting/fun?… Law students/educators must be energized with the legal/political climate. Political learning doesn’t have to be boring, feared, ancient or partisan.

The last thing to do is to trim the political coverage… Please keep up the hard-hitting investigative journalism work. Outside of you and Ohio Capitol Journal, there has been barely any coverage of redistricting. There is no one left in the state reporting on this. And they take advantage of that. Keep up up the hard world. It is the reason why the podcast audience has boomed; it is the reason your listeners remain loyal. For all sakes, please don’t trim coverage in response to low turnout and fatigue. This is what journalism matters most.

I think by pointing out things like the disastrous effects of our open border policy, we can urge voters to respond & elect responsible representatives who will vote to save our country from many detrimental outcomes that illegal immigration is producing (drug & human trafficking, gangs, etc.)

It seems impossible to counteract the misinformation spewed by FOX News, and they are the most watched news network. I think legit news organizations should daily fact-check their “newscasts”. Getting the younger population involved will have to come thru social media or sites like cleveland.com. Those generations will not read traditional news sites. It is imperative to get 18-40…