Apathy is a powerful political force. At first, it seems like a contradiction in terms. But one of the most powerful voting blocs in American politics today is the apolitical non-voter.
You’ve met them. You might even be one. The apolitical non-voter says they don’t care about politics. They don’t watch the news and they don’t follow current events. Yet, they are disillusioned and dissatisfied.
Non-voters are often the first to complain about our government. They say the major parties don’t interest them, or are the same, or that the whole system is meaningless. They dislike the status quo, but every day the apolitical non-voters work to keep the status quo going.
Being uninvolved in politics is a powerful statement. That statement is, “I approve of the way things are, and hope they continue.” Choosing to not care about politics is saying that you are happy with the people in power and how they run the government.
Congress has an approval rating of somewhere between 12 and 22 percent, depending on the poll. The average is between 16 and 17 percent. This is among the lowest approval ratings Congress has enjoyed in the last decade, but they’ve rarely been very high.
Few Americans approve of Congress’ performance. Yet between 1998 and 2008, the re-election rate in the U.S. House of Representatives for incumbents varied between 94 and 98 percent. Senate numbers ranged between about 80 and 90 percent. In 2010, the retention rates were 85 and 84 percent, respectively.
In that time, voter turnout rates during presidential election years have been between 50 and 57 percent. The midterms are even worse, with voter turnout rates in 2010 of about 41 percent nationwide. They’ve stayed between 30 and 50 percent for the last decade.
What do all these numbers add up to? In short, they’re proof that there’s no such thing as not being involved in politics. It’s tough to remove an incumbent from office. Not only do they have the backing of a major party, but they don’t have to do anything to remain elected. All that has to happen is for the opposition to fail to present a viable candidate and get voters interested. And that means that every vote not cast in an election is a vote for the incumbent.
There is no such thing as not voting. Every person who doesn’t vote is effectively voting for the incumbent candidate, be it at the local, state, or federal level.
It’s no wonder that Congressional approval ratings are so low while incumbent retention rates are so high. More than half the population is voting for the Congress they claim to not approve of. That makes them one of the most important parts of American politics.
Congress has not stayed in power because they have the support of the American people. They’ve stayed in power because Americans don’t care. The two dominant political parties count on this apathy to maintain the two-party status quo.
The non-voting bloc is the true “silent majority” in American politics, casting their ballots every day to keep things exactly as they are.
Max Bartlett can be reached at [email protected]