Today we opine on the greatest enemy of democracy: Apathy.
Yes, you read that correctly. Not attacks on state houses or hallowed halls of government; not mudslinging or social media smackdowns; not even misinformation. The enemy of democracy is lack of interest and lack of participation in the day-to-day government workings that keep a democracy going.
A functioning democracy requires civic engagement from everyday people like us.
What brings us to this conclusion is not any grand incidents on the national or even state political stage, but rather the municipal race for Morgantown City Council. Seven wards means seven seats up for grabs, but only two of the races are contested and one ward currently has no candidates. (At the time of this writing, it’s unclear if additional candidates met the filing deadline for Wards 3 and 5.) While it’s heartening to see some new names on the ballot, it’s disappointing to see how few names there are in total.
This means four candidates are virtually guaranteed spots on the city council. This is good for them, of course, but not so much for the denizens of Morgantown. The foundation of democracy is the right to choose — who leads us, who represents us — but when candidates run unopposed for office, the public is denied that right to choose. We, the voters, are denied the opportunity to question the candidates, to find out what each stands for and if their values align with our own, to suss out if that person is right for the job.
In order for the public to have that chance, more than one person must step up to the plate. But so few people are willing to engage with government at the local level. We all have myriad complaints about Morgantown — everything from roads to zoning to ordinances — yet we don’t turn out to run for local office and we really don’t turn out to vote for local offices, even though local issues are the ones that impact us most directly.
Hence, apathy is the enemy of democracy.
When no one cares enough to run for office, we’re left with no choices or with vacancies.
When no one cares enough to vote, a tiny fraction of the voting population decides the future for everyone else.
When no one cares enough to search for the truth, misinformation spreads like wildfire.
When no one cares enough to monitor our government, it runs amok and operates counter to the will of the people.
All this to say that civic engagement is essential to maintaining a good democracy.
So don’t be afraid to run for office, especially if there are plans you want implemented or problems you want fixed. The worst thing that can happen is the voters don’t choose you. (In case anyone is curious, April 13 is the last day a write-in candidate can file a certificate of announcement.)
And voters must show up for municipal elections — which may not be as flashy and grand as state or national elections, but are no less important. Voting is how we exert direct influence on the people and policies that govern us, so we have to show up at the polls. We’ll see you in April.
