Editorial: Voter participation crucial — not just at top of ballot but in other races as well

Early voter turnout ahead of Tuesday’s election has been heavy, in the Rio Grande Valley and across the country. That’s a good thing; citizen participation is important to the proper functioning of a democracy, and of our representative republic.

Neither major party presidential candidate is popular. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have dedicated followers, but both have higher negative ratings in public opinion polls than positive perceptions. Likewise, in the Senate race Ted Cruz is viewed poorly by a majority of those polled while Colin Allred hasn’t inspired much excitement; that race appears to be driven more by issues than by the candidates.

Such negative perceptions had worried some analysts who feared many Americans would see little reason to take the time and trouble to vote — even if the effort isn’t significantly time consuming or difficult.

Voter apathy would be unfortunate, and not just because major races appear so close that no clear favorite has emerged and they could be decided by just a few votes. Now more than ever, every vote counts.

Fortunately, it appears that apathy won’t keep too many people home, continuing a healthy recent trend. Record numbers of voters participated in the 2020 presidential election, even though Trump and current President Joe Biden also were unpopular. Still, even though 66.8% voter turnout in that election was celebrated as the highest in this century, participation in the U.S. is among the lowest among democratic countries that have free elections.

We should be voting in higher numbers, for many reasons.

U.S. elections traditionally are driven by major races and by personalities. More people vote in presidential elections than other campaigns. But they aren’t the only items on the ballot. Every House seat in both Congress and the Texas Legislature will be decided on Tuesday, as well as a long list of state and local positions. Some local voters will decide charter propositions and other issues.

Voter turnout in such elections usually is low when the ballot doesn’t feature major, high-profile races. That’s unfortunate; while Congress enacts federal laws and the president signs or vetoes them, most of the ordinances and rules that affect our daily lives, such as most taxes we pay, speed limits, zoning restrictions and other matters, are decided at the city, county and state level. In many cases, those issues, and the election of officials who decide them, are decided by fewer than 20% percent of eligible voters. And as is often said, it’s too late to complain about high taxes, burdensome regulations and corrupt officials when a person didn’t bother to cast a vote that might have made a difference.

Our nation’s founders created a government that relies on the consent of the governed — people have the freedom to influence our laws and policies, and select the people who make them. It’s a freedom that too few people have in this world, and it’s worth taking advantage of.

Growing participation in recent elections is encouraging, and we hope the trend continues. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the quality of our future depends on it.