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Tomorrow, of course, is Election Day in Utah. So, in KSL’s traditional editorial effort to get you to the polls, to cast your vote, let’s try a bit of a guilt trip.
Contemplate two recent elections, both a world away in the fledging democratic nation of Iraq. Recall what happened last January, when for the first time in most of their lives, Iraqis flocked to the polls to cast ballots in a free election. Many stood in line for hours, defied the threat of personal harm and withstood intense security checks to vote. Then they proudly displayed their ink-stained fingers - a sign they had voted and a symbol of their newly acquired right.
It happened again two weeks ago when Iraqi voters approved a new constitution. Overall voter turnout in the beleaguered land was above 60 percent. Yes, contemplate the many obstacles they faced to exercise their franchise.
Compare those images to the utterly dismal turnout for last month’s primary municipal elections here in Utah. No long, inconvenient lines. No security threats! No overwhelming obstacles! And yet, voters barely trickled to the polls.
Complacency won the day!
Tomorrow’s got to be better than that. Indeed, let’s see if Utah voters can equal, if not succeed, the exemplary voter turnout the world has been witnessing of late in Iraq.
