To the editor: As I was leaving my polling place on June 18 (primary day), an Arlington County Democratic Committee volunteer approached and asked me to “help save democracy” this fall by volunteering to work for her party.
I didn’t ask what threat to democracy she was concerned about, but later I learned that only about 11 percent of registered voters had participated in the most important Arlington election of the year.
It is “most important” because the County Board is the highest elected office in Arlington, and the winner of the Democratic primary is virtually guaranteed to be the winner in the November election. There were five different candidates to choose from, each with his/her own qualifications and (in some cases very contrasting) views on the issues.
Here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition of “democracy”: “government by the people; especially: rule of the majority.”
Is government by the 11 percent really a democracy? It isn’t even close to “rule of the majority.”
Arlingtonians don’t seem to care about democracy, at least not enough to keep track of what our leaders are doing and then choosing which ones should be elected. They’re happy to let the 11 percent rule – kind of like an oligarchy.
Maybe this is the threat to which the party worker was referring.
Bill Roos, Arlington
