MISSOURI WATCH: VOTER TURNOUT: IS DEMOCRACY DISAPPEARING?

The democratic system of our forefathers who believed strenuously, and almost religiously, in the efficacy of electoral participation has slowly eroded over the years. If you doubt that statement, please note the disgraceful numbers that expose the lack of voter participation in this month's primary elections. It is all the proof needed to conclude that perhaps as many as a majority of us no longer place any importance in elections and even less importance in our own responsibilities.

Despite the expenditure of millions of dollars to enlist non-registered voters and activate their participation in our American democracy, this year's August primary produced dismal results, not only in our own state but in virtually every venue in the nation.

Here in Missouri, the results were not only disappointing,- they were startling. As a result of what can be called successful efforts to register new voters, under the aegis of the 1993-enacted National Voter Registration Act, commonly called the Motor Voter Law, the state's election officials -- the office of Secretary of State and 115 county clerks and commissions -- had succeeded in registering a record number of voters in anticipation of this year's balloting. The elections division within the office of Secretary of State reported that 3,168,757 citizens 18 years of age and older were eligible to cast ballots in the primary.

This was, indeed, a record for the state, and at least a portion of this achievement, it was thought, could be traced to a reawakening of citizen interest in participatory government and the electoral process. It was considered an achievement until the August 6 returns were counted, revealing that only 22 percent of this 3.2 million total had gone to the polls. This was far below what had traditionally been a primary turnout, although in recent years percentages have continued to decline.

The primary returns confirm that slightly more than 1 out of 5 registered voters took the opportunity of going to the polls to cast ballots on state, congressional, county and amendment questions.

Think of it: nearly four out of every 5 voters chose not to participate in our representative government. Such a small participation percentage in a multi million-dollar electoral exercise represents a gigantic waste of public money. Economists who like to play cost-effective games could reasonably conclude that voting was one expense our government could well forego, with only a minimum of protest anticipated.

It can be argued that many voters already knew that Mel Carnahan and Margaret Kelly would be the gubernatorial candidates of their respective parties and that such knowledge created a lack of interest in all the contests below this line on the ballot. What about the other statewide races, however, where some contests were hardly givens? What about congressional races, where there were more party contests than in recent memory? What about the proposed constitutional amendment and use. tax issues? What about the state House and Senate contests and hundreds of county office candidates?

Nearly four out of every five registered voters in Missouri said these issues were not important, at least not important enough to merit 30 minutes of personal investment. After all, voting is the cheapest activity we can engage in, with no admission charge. So it wasn't money. It was the individual decision that the election was not important and that the voter was under no obligation to participate.

The same people who did not go to the polls, and probably will not venture forth in the November 5 general election, have reached one of several conclusions:

1. That voting for candidates offered by both parties is like voting for Mike and/or Ike, without a thin dime's worth of difference.

2. That one vote is meaningless, despite repeated instances in which a single ballot decided a heated contest.

3. That candidate-issue voting has become too complex and that the individual is too poorly informed to decide.

4. That the non-voter has more important things to do with his time, despite the statistic which places the average American in front of a television set for an average of four hours every day of the week.

Regardless of which conclusion suits various individuals, the conclusion that can safely be reached from all four is that the average voter is disillusioned with government, with still greater emphasis on the men and women who are engaged in running our federal, state and local governments. In the view of non-voters, not only does the machinery not work well, the folks who operate and maintain the machines are either poorly trained or corrupt, or both.

This concept of malfunctioning governments stands in contrast to the services performed for these same non-participants day in and day out, year after year. Critics continue their complaints of inadequate government services while collecting their Social Security checks every month without fail; Medicare picks up hospital charges that would bankrupt recipients who give no thought to how they have been served by government; farmers receive checks for crops raised and not raised and for disasters that preclude harvesting; students attend college on government loans that provide educational advantages their parents never had, while taking such services for granted. And on and on and on.

Where does the non-voter who has lost all faith in government believe all of these services come from? Who among the disillusioned would stop his mail service, cut off his water and electricity, cancel his bank deposit insurance, disregard the cleanliness of the food he buys?

When freedoms are no longer viewed as important, they cease to exist. Is that what our country is coming to?

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of the Missouri News and Editorial Service.