“Election day: the one day every two years where we drive to the fire station and overthrow the government — and there is not a policeman in the street.”

I came across this definition of Election Day written by Mike Dunn of the Saratoga Sun about 10 years ago, and it just stuck with me. Am I an insurrectionist? Not really. But I do believe in keeping what works and throwing out the junk that doesn’t. This resonates with me right now as we are in the process of throwing out the old, replacing it with the new and keeping the tried and true after water damage cleanup forced us to reevaluate what we had accumulated over the years.

Voting gives you the opportunity to hold the current politicians accountable for their actions and elect new people to better your community. One huge barrier to that is voter turnout. Despite the importance of primary elections in shaping who gets elected, who is represented and what policies are implemented, turnout is substantially lower in primary elections than in general elections across the United States and here in Warren County. This lack of interest comes with immense political consequences.

According to the Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, the 2023 primary saw 12,089 ballots cast out of 91,162 registered voters – a paltry 13.3% turnout. Compare that with the 2020 primary when 24,859 voters out of 80,161 registered voted for a 31% turnout. The 2020 general election saw a beehive of activity at the polling stations with 55,720 voters rallying at the polls out of 89,576 registered. The Trump/Biden battle royale fueled that jump in participation. Some will say the 2020 numbers aren’t accurate. I’ll leave that column for another day.

According to April 2024 voter registration data, about 46% of Kentucky voters were registered Republicans, 43% Democrats and 10% independent or another political party.

“I think it’s bad for democracy, and if you look at the primaries here in Kentucky, they are extremely low,” Dewey Clayton, a professor of political science at the University of Louisville, was quoted as saying in a Louisville news outlet story. “When it gets to be low like that, you have to really wonder if the people’s voice is really being heard.”

I have read numerous articles penned by a dozen think tanks and policy centers exploring the reasons for low voter turnout in the primaries. Mentioned as possible causes were Kentucky’s closed primary and a lack of federal funding for civics in the classroom – $2.15 million spent in 2021, compared to the $546 million paid out to science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects.

Personally, I blame the individual for the low turnout numbers. A lack of civic engagement in our electoral process, along with us losing sight of the common good, has plagued us. The civically engaged – those who vote, volunteer and connect with those around them – play a key role in community life. They are the drivers of our schools, businesses, economy and policies that govern us.

Some of the common excuses for not voting I’ve heard are: my vote won’t make a difference; the candidates are all equally bad; it’s choosing between the lesser of two evils; elected officials are a bunch of crooks; I don’t have the time to learn about all the issues and candidates; I’m too busy; the ballot is too long; I want to enjoy my holiday; the polling booth is too far; the lines are too long; the early voting times are during my workday; I forgot; elections are negative; and the funniest – “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

So folks, get out and vote! You have absolutely no reason to skip out on it this year. If you need more reason or convincing, I am at the Daily News typically from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

— Daily News General Manager Joe Imel can be reached at (270) 783-3273 or via email at joe.imel@ bgdailynews.com.