Voting: ‘No-Shows Draw No Attention’

In his Capitol Journal column (“Dear Professor: The Only Way to Change Politics Is to Participate in Politics,” April 8), George Skelton described an encounter with a Cal State professor who advocates a “voter boycott” to demonstrate the people’s loss of faith in the political process. Did the professor, a “lifelong political activist,” not notice that the Voter Information pamphlet for the March 5 primary listed, in addition to the Republican and Democratic slates, five, count ‘em, five minor parties offering candidates for statewide offices? And that near the end of the pamphlet there was a section of several pages presenting all the parties’ mission statements complete with addresses, phone numbers and Web sites where one could obtain further information?

Seems to me that a vote for these other guys would be a far more effective strategy than a boycott. Check them out! You might find something to like. As Skelton concluded, “No-shows draw no attention,” but when the fat cats see their captive voters defecting en masse to those other parties, you bet they’ll sit up and take notice.

Karen J. Stephen

Carlsbad