Perhaps the most curious phenom
enon of democracy is the spectacle of
politicians from both parties exhorting the
citizenry to exercise their right to vote. It
matters not, they say, whom you vote for, just
so you vote. The non-partisan voting cam
paign has reached such enthusiastic limits, in
fact, that we now see Democrats offering
Republicans free rides to the polls and vice
versa.
On the surface the voting campaign
is curious because one would suppose that a
particular candidate or party would stand to
gain by a low voter turnout. But there is
really no paradox, for an examination of the
underlying purposes of political parties will
show that election victory is not their sine
qua non. The first and overriding demand that
democracy places on political parties is that
they recognize and seek to bolster the image
of governmental power as legitimate power.
Political parties may challenge the man who
rules, but never his right to rule. Thus
political parties urge citizens of all persuasions
to vote and then claim a large voter turnout as
a mandate to rule. Like the one-party state
which forces citizens to vote, the Democrats
and Republicans are not concerned so much
with determining a ruler of the institution as
with legitimating that institution's power.
Now what lesson does this hold for
the person who wishes to withhold his
consent from a government he regards as
essentially immoral? Whatever his intentions,
any man who participates in an election
thereby sanctions its results. By joining in the
game the player has in effect acknowledged
the authority of the rules, even if he loses.
The proper course for the serious dissenter is
to refuse to exercise his voting franchise; to
boycott the elections. In so doing he will
deny the politician the key to his claim to
power: that he is representative of the people.
Those who believe that change can
be effected by voting for the better candidate
are entertaining a disarming fantasy. They are
pinning their strategy on the mistaken belief
that there are appreciable differences among
the men who seek an office. (Because they
the economics of racial tension -
Veritas thanks the United Free Press for the
permission to reprint some of their material. This
permission does not reflect compliance of the UFP
with Veritas' policy.
Have you ever thought about the
economic causes of racial tension? When jobs
are scarce, people are forced to compete for
them. When people are poor, they have to
take whatever jobs they can get. When people
are poor and Black, they have a hard time
getting any kind of job. When people are poor
and White, they are consoled by the idea that
they are "better" than the Blacks. Poor
Blacks and Whites are made to see each other
as enemies. This false picture keeps them
from seeing that their real enemy is an
economic situation which forces them to
remain poor.
According to the 1960 census,
8,604 persons in Clarke County had family
incomes of 52,000 or less. This includes over
18% of the people living in Clarke County.
Over one-third of the people in Clarke
County, 15,008 people, had family incomes
of $3,000 or less. This amounts to $57.69 a
week family income. Is "Advancing Athens"
an accurate slogan when one third of the
County's citizens had to get by on family
incomes of $57.69 or less a week? The
government and business leaders of this area
have been greatly concerned recently because
the case against voting
must win a majority, all candidates will
necessarily endorse the weaker, middle-of
the-road, consensus on most issues.) Further
more, they ignore the shamefully long record
of elected officials who, when confronted
with the awesome power of their position,
betray the public trust for personal gain. New
Left Notes offers this empirical argument
against voting: "We should not give the 'peace
candidates one more chance to do what they
have consistently done in the past: continue
and/or expand the war. Jack Kennedy
propped up the Diem regime and began the
escalation. LBJ (who defeated hawk Gold
water) sent in half a million troops."
Every November more than half of
the eligible voters fail to cast ballots. The
reason is either that they are unconcerned or
feel impotent to affect the outcome. But
purposeful voter strikes as a part of a larger
civil disobedience could have a profound
ideological impact. They would signify the
determination of the people to control their
own lives. They would be a massive cry for
personal autonomy, voicing the desire of each
man to live independently of the will of 50
million others.
SDS is calling for national demon
strations on election day in Detroit and San
Francisco. Their purpose is to say louldy and
clearly that the elections are a hoax. But the
best demonstration on November 3 will be
the simple act of remaining at home. Unlike
the anonymous act of secret balloting, the
refusal to vote will be an individual
declaration of independence.
Voters boycotts are not an admis
sion of weakness of default. Rather, they are
an expression of the unwillingness to resist in
terms set by the oppressor. They are the
recognition that questions of right and wrong
cannot be resolved by a vote. To quote
Thoreau: "Voting for the right is doing
nothing for it. It is only expressing to men
feebly your desire that it should prevail. A
wise man will not leave the right to the mercy
of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the
power of majority."
David Rosinger
the 1970 census showed a slower growth rate
than local officials had predicted. Os much
greater concern should be the question of
whether the people of this community have
made economic gains during the last ten
years.
In spite of the poor economic
conditions in the Athens and Clarke County
areas, a number of organizations are working
to improve the quality of living for
community residents. These agencies—such as
Model Cities, ACTION, Community Partici
pation Council for Action—are largely financ
ed by federal funds. For these programs to be
successful in helping area residents, local
employers must take the initiative in provid
ing jobsfor qualified persons and in ending
discriminatory hiring practices. By doing this,
local employers would help ease racial
tensions in Athens.
Instead of resisting the efforts of
area residents to better their lives, all citizens
should do what they can to improve the
situation. Poor Blacks and Whites are not
asking for handouts. They want jobs paying
decent wages. If Athens employers and
government officials continue to make the
mistake of thinking that a healthy, harmoni
ous community can be built for $57.69 a
week or less, they will not be able to blame
the next demonstrations on "outsiders."
-tfd^
PHIL WYATT- Editor
JANESE DOUKAS Editor
DONNA STEWART Editor
STEPHEN OF THE NORTH
. . . Production Manager
ELLEN NORTH
JOHN GRANFIELD
LARRY SMITH
JULIAN SLOMAN
JIM GARDNER
WHISTLING JOHN (CAUDLE)
NSK 111
TIM HAYES
CONNIE MORRIS
JIM BAIRD
LINDA MILWORD
JUDY WEEKS
MARY HALL
DICK HUDSON
REGI MULLEN 9
DOUG HYMAN
DAVID ROSINGER
MARTIN BRENNER
JOHN GREER
RON FERRAZZUOLO
DEBRA HOWINGTON
TOM CRAWFORD
CARTER JOSEPH
RAYMOND WINFREY
CURTIS LEWIS
REGERO SAMPSON
JOHN ENGLISH ...
. . . Advisor
^ scmffiMorc
of eo&rey
For the coming year VERITAS has
set very high editorial standards. Our editors
will be highly selective and discriminating.
Good taste will be the primary criterion.
VERITAS promises that it will not
publish:
1. The name of sorority pledges.
2. The scores of football games.
3. The activities of the Mortar
Board.
4. The speeches of Fred Davison.
5. Campus recruiting information.
6. Editorials on traffic accidents.
7. Editorials on springtime.
What other newspaper can promise
you all this for only a dime?
AD INFINITUM
130 College Ave. (Above Western Union)
Health Food, Handcrafted Leather Goods
XEROX
,05 Copies ,
^ Copies „
Copies'
Paperback Books Traded
2 FOR 1
Copies Unlimited
190 West Broad
^ Veritas
Page 4
