GOTV 2014: County Chairs Speak Out
“When (the voters) hear all the bad things going on in Washington- gridlock, or a member of Congress doing something illegal- that gets their attention and they get disenchanted,” said Geoffrey Yoste, the GOP county chair for Lafayette County.
Justin Cluck, the Lafayette County Democratic Party chair agreed. “People feel apathetic. They think that my vote doesn’t count. They ask “Why should I be engaged?”
In Lafayette county, turnout was poor. It fared better than the rest of the state, but the county chairs we spoke to were both disappointed in the turnout. As statewide elections for 2015 are already gearing up, we sat down with them and asked them what kept people from the polls and what they were doing to increase turnout for the next election cycle.
Why The Voters Don’t Turnout
“People go vote when they feel like they have a stake in the process,” said Cluck. He said that the midterm elections this year were marked by a lack of local state elections or big ticket national elections where voters may have felt more connected.
Yoste spoke to the sense that people are not wanting to get involved with the process. “Politics has just turned kinda ugly, and people want to stay away from it and don’t want to put their name on it.”
Phillip Waller
Ole Miss
11/20/14
Magnolia Tribune
