There seems to be much discussion on the question of why we don’t have greater voter turnout; I would like to offer two points I’ve observed over my 83 years. I served for many years on the Steering Committee of the Utah County Republican Party. For several years it was chaired by an active member of the Catholic Church. Never can I remember the subject of any church’s values being discussed as it relates to the platform of the Utah County Republican Party. It was just a nonissue.
I would like to suggest two reasons why I think we see a decline in participation in all parties:
1. The inactivation of the Selective Service Program, which required young men to sacrifice some time, if not their life, for the country. The more we invest in something, the more we treasure it.
2. With the explosion of various types of social media devices, our time becomes split more and more among various venues. Today there is much discontent with the government. When people become discontented rather than becoming more active in making change, they become disconnected from the process.
Mel Hudman
Spanish Fork