Andrew McDaniel | Who is to blame for low voter turnout?

Do you remember experiencing anything for the first time? Your first job perhaps? There are few emotions comparable to the excitement of a new experience. This is how Jamaicans may have felt participating in the 1944 elections.

Before 1944, voting was reserved for citizens who had met property qualifications such as owning land. Due to the unequal distribution of wealth caused by slavery, many Jamaicans were left disenfranchised under this system. Consequently, Jamaica’s Legislative Council was hardly representative of its population. Our first black lawmaker, Alexander Dixon, was elected to the council in 1899. Each elected black legislator was merely a token among the body of white and mixed-race legislators.

Once universal adult suffrage was granted in 1944, there was greater motivation among poor, black Jamaicans to have their voices heard after being disenfranchised for more than a century following the abolition of slavery.

As with any new experience, time erases its mystique, and excitement is replaced with indifference. The recent decline in voter participation is evidence of this. Jamaicans have neglected their right to vote as a way of stubborn protest. To make matters worse, the two major political parties seem to care little about this issue and have engaged in actions detrimental to the sustenance of Jamaica’s democracy.

DECLINING VOTER ENTHUSIASM

Following Jamaica’s independence from the British, the elections indicated all the signs of a young and vibrant democracy. In 1967, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the parliamentary majority with a voter turnout of 82.24 per cent. In 1972, the People’s National Party (PNP) won the majority for the first time since independence with a voter turnout of 78.88 per cent. They retained their majority in 1976 with a voter turnout of 85.2 per cent. In, arguably, Jamaica’s most consequential election, the 1980 General Election saw the JLP return to power with a voter turnout of 86.91 per cent, the highest the figure has ever been. The voter turnout started to gradually decline by 1993 from 67.4 per cent that year to 61.5 per cent by 2007. The first major warning sign came in the 2011 election when the voter turnout was recorded at 53.2 per cent. At this point, the Government and democratic stakeholders should have acted swiftly and assertively to prevent further decline. This was not the case. Consequently, the voter turnout fell below 50 per cent for the first time in 2016, and in the last general election of 2020, the voter turnout was recorded at 37.85 per cent. Jamaica’s recent voter turnout is competing for the lowest parliamentary election participation with the likes of Mali, Venezuela, and Syria, countries with a history of dictatorships and political instability. The recent election and by-election figures should present cause for concern to citizens and representatives. However, it seems like the country has side-stepped the matter for more pressing issues such as which celebrities are allowed at conferences and rallies.

The declining voter turnout has been attributed to voter migration, lengthy processes, and disillusionment with our leaders. Additionally, the recent pandemic would have presented physical restrictions and health concerns for voters in 2020. While these reasons are valid, the reality is that the democratic enthusiasm among Jamaican voters is waning. In the elections immediately following independence, there was more at stake in the minds of voters. There was a desperate need to improve the lives of ordinary Jamaicans by increasing access to employment, education, and healthcare. At that time, citizens saw a direct link between voting, governance. and their everyday lives. The actions of our contemporary politicians (or inaction in some cases) have failed to gain similar enthusiasm from this generation of voters.

ETERNAL POWER STRUGGLE

Frankly put, elections in Jamaica are now fox fights for state resources. Members of both political parties have engaged in manipulative behaviour in their efforts to gain power. Voting in Jamaica is now inextricably linked with the theatrics of the PNP and the JLP. Instead of allowing MP hopefuls to be properly vetted by their constituents, the political parties hide candidates behind the confusion of orange and green vuvuzelas. The lack of civic education among the electorate further exacerbates the issue. Jamaicans are simply not participating in the electoral process in the way it was intended. Our first-past-the-post electoral system requires voters to choose the person that best represents the interests of their district/division/constituency. Instead of doing this, many Jamaicans strategically vote for MPs in hopes of determining the office of the prime minister, a position that is not directly elected by the population. Politicians have contributed to the dumbing down of the process by encouraging voters to aimlessly look for the head or the bell on the ballot even if they have no idea who the candidates are. More and more elections reflect a power struggle between the two parties, with diminishing input from the population

VOTING IS THE FIRST STEP

The implications of this issue are more severe than our leaders would have us believe. Two of the major tenets of democracy are accountability and legitimacy. Legitimacy means that a political representative can command popular support. Certainly, any government that does not have the support of at least 51 per cent of its electorate cannot rightfully call themselves legitimate. They might be a legal government but not a legitimate one. Recent corruption scandals and general accountability issues stem from our initial lack of participation in elections. An inactive electorate allows representatives to abuse their hold on power and make decisions that are not always reflective of the will of the people. Before we can make any progress as a country, we must take greater pride in our ability to elect our representatives. If our political leaders can humble themselves enough to collaborate effectively on this issue, then, maybe, we can see improvements in our next general election.

Andrew McDaniel is a teaching assistant at Department of Government, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona. Send feedback to marketing.communication@uwimona.edu.jm.