Over the next few days,
people across Florida will either get their hopes up, hold their noses or just
cross their fingers and plunge into what is almost invariably an exercise in
frustration: They will vote.
Then, Nov. 7, the day
after the election, most will heave a sigh of relief and turn their attention
back to things they love, that are important or that are urgent, like their
job, education or children.
A small number, maybe 1%
or so, will keep on voting. These people, citizen advocates, understand that
Election Day is not the end, but a beginning. It's the day you take on a new
employee: You hire or rehire the people who represent you as elected officials
in municipal, county, state and federal government.
Just as you would a new employee, the citizen advocates know that if you want your new employee to succeed, you must give them a clear job description and goals. You must supervise them, keep a close and constant watch on their performance and give them frequent direction. If you don't, they are free to do the job in their own way.
This small number of
activists, these committed few, drive public policy. Because there are so few
who stay engaged after Election Day, they have disproportionate influence. They
keep on voting.
These advocates will be
the focus of this blog, along with the professional lobbyists who work with
them, the government staff who make their appointments and take their phone
calls, the elected officials who listen to them, and the academics who study
them.
You will not only meet
ordinary people of extraordinary influence, but you will also come to see that
you, as one person – if you care enough – can have enormous influence on
politicians, especially the ones you can vote for. You will see how others
achieve influence and learn techniques that will empower you to expand your
influence across the state and country.
You will learn how to keep
on voting after the election and why merely voting on Election Day is usually
not going to make much difference, even though your vote can determine who is
elected.
(The one exception is if
you are passionate about one of the initiatives or referendums that actually
write specific law for Florida – but that's a bog, not a blog, and we won't go
there.)
Here's why merely voting for candidates on Election Day doesn't have much impact:
When it comes to selecting
or electing people to represent you, you only get to vote every two or four or
six years, depending on the office.
Laws are passed or changed in between elections.
Moreover, each individual
you can vote for has only limited power to create change. Consider the most
visible example, the president.
No matter who wins, you are likely to be disappointed. All the promises the candidates make, all their sincere intentions, collapse in the face of the fact that 535 voting members of the U.S. Congress also have skin in the game. In Florida this year, you get to vote for just two people who will go to Congress, one for the House and one for Senate.
No matter who wins, you are likely to be disappointed. All the promises the candidates make, all their sincere intentions, collapse in the face of the fact that 535 voting members of the U.S. Congress also have skin in the game. In Florida this year, you get to vote for just two people who will go to Congress, one for the House and one for Senate.
Across the country,
candidates are running to become one of 435 voting representatives and 33
senators up for election. Historically, more than 85 percent of those in office are
re-elected.
Of course, because of term
limits for members of the Florida legislature, you have a more frequent shot at
influencing the outcome.
But even with the newly
redrawn districts and election system, most elections were decided in the
primary. Depending on how you count, on Nov. 6, Florida has only a few
competitive legislative races.
In 2010, 81% of legislators whose seats were up for election
in won in a landslide. Only 19% were elected in a competitive race.
Thus, the primary is actually your most powerful vote because the turnout is so low. This year in Florida Congressional District 3 long-term incumbent Cliff Stearns was knocked off in the primary and his replacement, barring some unexpected event, will go to Washington after receiving fewer than 22,000 votes.
So once in while, your
vote can be important in deciding who wins. Please vote. But understand that if
that is all you do, you aren't likely to make much difference.
Next time: six reasons why voting is your least effective method to influence public policy.
