November 04, 2008 05:25 PM UTC

Springs Gazette: Don't Vote, Stupid Democrats

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• by: Colorado Pols

It’s often-repeated charge that Republicans consciously prefer fewer people voting. That’s a pretty serious accusation in a democracy, and it’s no surprise that Republicans routinely deny it.

Unless you’re the editorial board of the Colorado Springs Gazette, which is apparently under no obligation to sugar-coat stuff like that. The GOP is likely to lose big today as everybody knows, but if that happens it’s the fault of stupid, ill-informed voters who shouldn’t be voting anyway:

Record numbers of citizens have been registered throughout the country. They’ve been handed pens and told to sign on the dotted line. Organizations such as Rock the Vote and

Get out the Vote encourage voting by people who are otherwise disinclined to vote.

Expect to see colleagues wearing “I voted” stickers, promoting voting like they would promote giving blood.

“Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country,” states the organization’s Web site.

Get Out the Vote’s site says: “If you don’t vote … you don’t count.”

That isn’t true. Traditionally, about half of Americans eligible to vote have opted to stay home. They very much play a role in improving the quality of our election results, and they do count…

People who don’t vote play a positive role by not polluting election results with ill-informed decisions. [Pols emphasis]

Elections serve this country well, but only when the electorate is knowledgeable of the likely causes and effects of their decisions. Well-informed voters are people who have studied their ballots, followed the news, and informed themselves about the workings of their communities, their country and the world. By voting, they make the country strong.

Ill-informed voters, by contrast, do themselves and their country a giant favor by respectfully declining to vote. It requires no apology, no explanation. It’s the noble, righteous and patriotic choice.

Of course, there is a grain of truth to the idea that voters should take the time to understand clearly the issues and candidates they’re voting for. And all of us have expressed frustration with the will of the electorate at one time or another. But as any consistent reader of the Gazette’s editorials can tell you, the only side they consider “ill-informed” is the Democratic one–and you betcha, Republicans would consider any Democrat’s decision to “decline to vote” “noble, righteous and patriotic.”

Most other times, this might pass as a reasonable appeal for voters to get informed. Published on Election Day, it’s a pathetic and intellectually fraudulent attempt to debase the likely results.