A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ANSWERED

Lakeland Ledger political columnist Bill Rufty is wondering this morning "Where have all the candidates gone?" And, for that matter, "Where have all the voters gone?"

Last Tuesday, Polk County Supervisor of Election Lori Edwards --- a former member of the Florida House of Representatives --- was quoted as observing that "It is a reflection of what seems to be below-average interest in elections this year...In all the years I have observed elections, this appears to be the most apathetic".

There was one error in Rufty's writing: He mentions that of the four House districts that cover Polk County --- all held by Republicans --- only one has opposition. Actually, there are five districts that include portions of Polk, and three will have challengers: Two by Democrats, and one by a Conservative Party candidate. But his observation is undoubtably correct, in that more than half of the local, county, and legislative races have already been decided...of 29 such offices to be contested, 16 had only one candidate who got a free pass.

And one truly troubling item of note is that while voter turnout has been dismal in recent years, the number of black voters has become a big concern. I quote Rufty's column:

"...in the two Lakeland precincts with a majority of black voters, the turnout for the [2005 Lakeland city] commission races was 9 percent and 12 percent even with a well-known black businesswoman running".

This should be especially worrisome to the Democratic Party, whose candidates black voters have traditionally supported in big numbers. There does seem to be a feeling among some leaders in the African-American community that they have been "taken for granted" by Democrats, which may be one reason a growing number have been staying away from the polls. Also, Republicans have been working hard for some time to attract black voters, and have been making some inroads in Polk County.

Sadly, a number of people simply don't vote because they don't feel that their ballot counts...they are just one person among thousands. They need to be reminded that every single vote counts, and that if they want to make change, they can't simply sit back and complain, writing letters to the editor. They have to become involved...and that means 1) paying close attention to what's happening and who's running, 2) finding a candidate whose beliefs and ideas most closely match theirs, 3) work for that candidate...from passing out literature to talking to friends, family, and neighbours, and 4) VOTE!

Can I get off the soapbox now?