MARTIN: Column has several problems

Sarah Martin’s recent elegiac screed venerating voting was laughable in the extreme because there are several problems with her through line.

She begins by talking about the 56 men who penned the Declaration of Independence — which mentions voting precisely zero times. This isn’t really surprising as voting has virtually nothing to do with independence.

Sarah continues by rendering a noble, slow, and violent progression of the franchise, first to freed male slaves and then to women. She asserts this is good. The rub comes in a scolding, snarky message that you voters out there are doing it wrong — some of you need to start voting harder and better.

Let’s discuss how voting works here. Take the 2020 presidential election. Of 242,690,810 eligible voters, 158,427,986 voted. That’s 65%. Of that 65%, 81,283,501 voted for one candidate (presumably Sarah’s choice) and 74,223,975 voted for another.

This means the voters whose choice won represent a minority (33%) of the available voting population, noting that all of the non-voters only further diminish that minority.

There can be no logical denial of this arrangement being minority rule. Sarah doesn’t mind this, but objects when her views aren’t represented by that minority.

Sarah will surely struggle to understand the truth that if one votes, one is part of the problem — if one votes, one cannot credibly complain.

Those not voting express a preference; Sarah just doesn’t hear it.

Freedom subject to a vote is no freedom at all.

E.F. FRAZIER

Worley