Opinion: Here’s why your vote really matters

Americans may have felt like patting themselves on the back after the 2020 election. That’s because roughly 66.6% of you cast ballots nationwide, a figure the Pew Research Center said was the highest since 1900.
That year, 73.7% showed up at polls, and William McKinley was elected president.
But, while it’s good to see voter turnout trending upward, the sobering truth is that the 34% of the country that didn’t cast a ballot, roughly 75 million people, could have had a profound impact on the outcome if they had taken the time to study issues and platforms, then voted.
Which is to say, if you haven’t yet filled out your ballot and turned it in, please do so. It may sound like a cliche, but every vote is important. And the official Election Day is Tuesday, which is your last chance to drop mail-in ballots in an official drop box, or to vote in person at an official polling site.
The percentage of eligible Utahns (defined as adults over the age of 18) that voted in 2020 was higher than the national figure, at 69.17%. As a comparison, in 2012, when Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee, only 56.12% of eligible voters cast ballots in Utah.
Again, that’s a good trend, but more than 30%, or about 650,000 people, didn’t participate.
As the late Chicago journalist Sydney J. Harris said, “Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.”
That is a remarkable system, and for each eligible voter, a remarkable and important responsibility. The most powerful people in government can be removed if enough people feel that person has not performed adequately, but only if people actually cast votes.
The Census Bureau noted some things that may seem obvious, but which are worthy of consideration. Older people vote in larger percentages than the young. Of those who were 18 to 24 in 2020, only 51.4% cast ballots, compared with 76% for those aged 65 to 74.
Income also is a predictor. Among those who earned $100,000 to $149,000 annually in 2020, turnout was 81%. Among those earning $30,000 to $39,000, it was 63.6%. Also, the more formal education a person has, the more likely her or she is to vote.
The director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California told the Associated Press that the ballots cast are not representative of the full population. Low-income communities are not as well represented as wealthier communities. Young people are not heard as much as the oldest generations.
Of course, not everyone in those demographics would vote together in a block, but this inequity of representation is a problem created voluntarily by those who fail to vote. Perhaps many people feel powerless in a large and wealthy country. Perhaps they feel as the 73-year-old Detroit man who told the AP it doesn’t matter which party is in power. Life for those who struggle to make ends meet will not improve.
But a vote cast by a low-income person counts the same as a vote by the wealthiest person in the land. The numbers suggest low-income and young people would generate powerful voices if they decided to exercise their franchises and mobilize in favor of issues.
This year, as was the case four years ago, many issues are in play and troubling animosities exist between members of different parties. Many election workers are confronting threats. Some voters have lost faith in public institutions. We’re not attempting to address those issues here, other than perhaps to note the irony of rising voter percentages at a time when so many outwardly express doubts about the integrity of the electoral process.
We trust Utahns have high confidence in their county election processes, as they should.
If you aren’t registered to vote, you’re in luck. Utah is one of a handful of states that allows people to register as they show up at polling locations to vote in person. You will be required to present two forms of identification.
It’s easy and it’s important. Don’t let your chance to be heard disappear.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”