Most voters are passive. The information they gather as to know who to vote for comes from aggressive political ads and news stories just prior to and during election season where candidates clamber for the limelight. Why? Name recognition.
Most voters make their important selection based solely on if they’ve heard the name before. Not if it was in a good context or bad, but simply on whether the far recesses of their brain find even a modicum of familiarity. In our fast-paced lives, where we have to worry about prices, baseball practices and healthcare for our loved ones, who has time to research a political candidate who will never care to know our names?
Voter apathy. That is what we must address and what our society must overcome. Otherwise, our political races come down to who spends the most money on expensive, prime-time TV advertisements.
The political landscape is already there to a great extent. Gone are the days where the blue-collar worker who is fed up with the status quo can mount a grass-roots national campaign based solely on their message and charisma, and hope to win. Unfortunately, the average person could never hope to run a successful campaign nationwide – it is simply too expensive.
And so, we are left with elitists representing us at the highest offices, who don’t truly understand the daily struggles of the average American.
In New Mexico, that theme is creeping into our own local and state-level elections. Candidates are bolstered by corporate dollars and national organizations with lots of cash. Good luck trying to dissuade voters from that flash-in-the-pan.
So, we must advocate for voter education and engagement, and away from party lines and bought promises. Folks need to consume as much information about all of the candidates in order to make an informed decision.
The greatest way, in my opinion, for voters to see the difference between the candidates is through fair and honest debate. Candidates need to have the courage of their convictions, be able to think on their feet and show people who they really are under pressure.
Televised debates do this in the best fashion, allowing viewers to weigh their words evenly, objectively, without having to wade through the pomp and circumstance of attack ads and, often, lies about their own records.
So then why are there so few such debates? And let’s review their timing. As of Sept. 15, only one debate is scheduled between the governor candidates in New Mexico. KOB-4, out of Albuquerque, was able to land the coveted slot. Both the Republican and Democrat candidate in that race have agreed to the debate, scheduled on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
Of note, however, is that early voting starts on Oct. 6, so votes will be cast in the race before voters have a chance to see both candidates perform on the debate stage, answering critical questions pertaining to many (if not most) New Mexicans. KRQE News 13, also out of Albuquerque, invited the candidates to a debate on their station. The Republican candidate accepted, the Democrat candidate declined.
KRQE News 13 was, however, able to schedule both candidates vying for the 2nd Congressional District, a hotly contested race that historically sees Democrat and Republican candidates win interchangeably. Unfortunately, that debate won’t air until Oct. 16 at 5 p.m., 10 days after early voting begins.
I like to get to the polls as early as possible. Life gets busy and I would prefer to get it done and not have to worry about it until I can watch the numbers roll in on election night. I imagine others feel the same way.
But this cycle, I will have to wait patiently for the debates to air and hope that many other voters do the same, so that we can have as much information as possible when we fill in the little bubble. As I’ve mentioned before, everyone turns out for the national races, especially when the U.S. Presidential office is on the ballot, but our local elections are where people are selected that will make policies that will more directly impact our daily lives. Those are the races that we need to be paying attention to, becoming informed about, and voting on come election day.
Regardless of your politics, watching the debates with an open mind will yield more information about those vying for our vote than any other forum. Put them on your calendar.
And don’t forget to vote by Nov. 3.
Shawna Pfeiffer is a life-long Dona Ana County Resident, graduate of NMSU, small business owner, hobby farmer, dog-lover, outdoor enthusiast and mother to two young children. She can be reached at srpfeiffer1@gmail.com.
