There’s an old saying you’ve probably heard a million times: Polls don’t vote, people do!” The recent Michigan Presidential Primary election was a classic example of that. All of the pollsters predicted businessman Donald Trump would win our state. And he did. The Republican Party establishment tried to stop him. They couldn’t. None of the pollsters predicted U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders would be victorious. But he beat front-runner Hillary Clinton by capturing 50-percent of the Democratic ballot vote compared to her 48-percent. The people had the final say and they selected the non-establishment candidates.
All too often, we hear these common reasons for why American citizens don’t vote:
- My vote won’t count
- I’m too busy
- Signing up to vote is confusing
- The lines are too long
- I don’t like the candidates
- I can’t get to the polls
Michiganders didn’t let a bunch of excuses get in the way this time. About 2.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots. To their credit, they beat the 1.9 million record set in 1972. Many of those who participated were new and young voters between ages 18 – 24.
Participating in the political process is important and can be exciting and rewarding. It is also the best way to reinforce our system of government in which power is vested in the people. And, regardless of who we, the people, choose to be America’s next president, we hope Michiganders set another voting record in November! And remember, “Polls don’t vote, people do!”
I'm Chuck Stokes, Editorial Director
Broadcast: March 10 - 13, 2016
