A lot of people just don’t want to think about it. It oftentimes feels like your vote doesn’t matter, which is generally true in Presidential elections unless you’re in a swing state. And it often feels like you’re just voting for the shiniest of two turds anyway.
Getting involved in politics at a local level, where your decisions actually have the most effect on your day-to-day life, is just too boring I guess.
I’ve looked into getting involved locally. Unfortunately, the game is stacked against anyone with an unconventional work schedule, who works long shifts, who is non-white, queer, or disabled, who is a non-English speaker…
It’s set up so the majority of people who wield the power and influence are fairly affluent, privileged groups. This is by design.
The media and social media are geared towards reinforcing tribalism. You have to pick a team and anyone on the other team is your enemy. It works well as a means of driving engagement and making money at the expense of having an electorate that is informed.
It reminds me of the town hall Bernie Sanders did on Fox News a few years ago. If you strip away the partisan blinkers and have a debate based on facts, specific policy points, and focusing on trying to improve people’s lives instead of scoring cheap points then more people agree than disagree, regardless of political affiliation.
I guess the question is, “who benefits from a divided electorate?”
