Re: [pf] Nader on The Connection today (NPR)

by Molly Williams

19 December 2000 04:00 UTC

Turnout in Maine was 67%, slightly down from our high of 70% (1992?) but
up quite a bit from 1996's turnout. Nader got 6% of the vote in Maine. 

My sense -- completely undiluted by facts -- is that Nader got some
progressives and disenfranchised people out to the polls, but some
moderates who would not have been interested in Nader and who weren't
thrilled by Gore or Bush (whether because of their similiarities,
personalities, or whatever) simply stayed home. I wouldn't think Nader's
running kept many people home. 

I think people who don't vote generally don't vote because they don't
think their vote will matter -- Whether that's because they are "only
one person, " or they don't think that politics matters, or they don't
think that the person who becomes president as a result of this
particular election matters, is hard to judge, I would think. Maybe some
of each, and more.

~ Molly

Jill Taylor Bussiere wrote:
> 
> Sharon,
>     First off, my take on low voter turnout is the election system.  I am
> hoping that when we get a better system that turnout will be better.
>     Second, the only turn out figures I have heard are maybe a percentage or
> two above normal, and I think they were lower than in some other
> presidential elections.  Is that what others have heard?  Certainly not what
> we all had hoped or even "felt" on election day.   Most people didn't feel
> like they had a choice to turn out to vote for Nader, as we live in a two
> party system.
>                     Jill
> 
> > Did Nader's campaign boost voter turnout as many claimed it would? I can't
> > find any final numbers; I don't recall hearing that turnout was up this
> > year. I'm wondering why, if so many of the non-voters were just waiting
> for
> > a candidate they could get behind, they didn't respond to Michael Moore's
> > exhortations to turn out for Nader.
> >
> > Sharon
>