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Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Dismal turnout figures point to deep-seated voter apathy

Tuesday’s election returns across the midstate had one common theme. Apathy.

Warner Robins had the most vibrant race. Citizens of the International City had an opportunity to elect a new mayor for the first time in more than a decade. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding that race — Donald Walker’s suicide — made the race to replace him impossible to ignore, yet 25,789 voters managed to do so. The race is now headed for a runoff between Chuck Chalk and Chuck Shaheen. The City Council Post 1 seat is also headed to a runoff. Out of the five candidates, only two survived: Mike Daley and Linda Faye Carnes.

In Bibb County, the only question was an education local option sales tax. A pitiful turnout of 8.4 percent went to the polls, and a grand total of 4,400 voted to approve the measure that will raise almost $200 million (see Phil Dodson’s column to the right). Each yes vote, due to the dismal turnout, was multiplied more than 18 times. And here’s a real kicker: 8,719 voters in Bibb are on the inactive list. They were eligible to vote but we bet they didn’t. It takes not voting in two general elections (eight years) to wind up on the inactive list.

In the race for who would lead Gray, Gus Wilson won 62 percent of the vote, however, turnout was only 36 percent, which looks huge next to the 18 percent who voted for mayor in Warner Robins. In Centerville, the mayor’s race, won by John Harley was decided by a total of 699 voters, with only 113 votes separating the two candidates.

Several races throughout the mid-state are headed to a Dec. 1 runoff and the only thing that can be counted on in a runoff is that turnout will drop below the watermark left Nov. 3.

— Charles E. Richardson,

for the Editorial Board