Voter Apathy

Once again voter turnout in Fayette County was... well, pathetic. Close to 75% of the registered voters in the county didn't bother to vote. With all the options available these days there is simply no excuse other than apathy. Early voting was available in Tyrone, Peachtree City and Fayetteville. Absentee voting is easier than it ever has been. The polls were open from 7 in the morning until 7 at night on the 15th.

I don't know that the end result would have been any different if 100% of the voters had turned out. The end result isn't the point of this diatribe.

In the past Fayette County has been known for the involvement of its voting population. We've always had high turnout. However, in the last 3 elections we've had extremely poor voter participation.

When the citizens stop voting I see it as a sign that the county is headed in the wrong direction. When people who should care about what their elected officials are doing stop being involved, stop voting, then special interests take over. When no one cares enough to watch those who are directing the future of the county, deals are made, corners are cut and ultimately the citizens wake up and wonder what happened to their once-great way of life.

A large number of people moved to the county in recent years to get away from what they perceived as less-than-stellar living conditions. They chose Fayette County because of its great schools and great quality of life.

Read the newspapers. Our way of life is going quickly by the wayside. When I moved here my son was entering the first grade. Life was great, peaceful, no crime to speak of aside from the occasional kid prank.

Now? I hear from the Fayetteville police that they won't let their wives shop alone in the Pavilion. I hear from my now-closed favorite restaurant that the store next to them was robbed at gun point three time in the past year or so. I read about robberies and mayhem. We're being pressured to allow more multi-family housing. Old farms are being sold to developers. Fayetteville is building like there's no tomorrow. Big boxes are the norm. Large empty buildings dot the roads while new buildings are going up. I could go on and on.

We're becoming just like those places many left. And yet almost 75% of those who could make a difference can't be bothered to take the time to find out who's running for office and go to the polls.

I've been writing about this each election and it doesn't make a bit of difference. The only people who read this are the ones who agree and vote. Those who don't vote won't make it past the first paragraph, if they make it past the title.

It's a shame. And it's a sad thing for a once-great county that may just be on the other side of its prime. I still think it's not too late to change the county and save it. We just need more people who care enough to get involved.