Editorial: Voter turnout was a miserable showing

Thursday, April 5, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

Abysmal. Pathetic. Embarrassing. Take your pick, any of these words could aptly describe voter turnout in Tuesday's primary election in Clark County. Just 12 percent of eligible voters bothered to cast their ballots. For those who did cast their ballots, they saw precinct workers who were so lonely that they made the Maytag repairman look popular.

Sure, primaries typically don't generate the same voter interest or excitement as do general elections, but high school student council races result in better turnouts than did Tuesday's real-world elections for adults. Granted, in some Las Vegas wards, residents could only vote in one contest -- a municipal judge's race -- because either their council member's term wasn't up yet or their ward's incumbent didn't have a challenger. But failing to vote in even a single race is a lame excuse for those who live in a democracy.

While the countywide turnout percentage was a sorry spectacle, there were glimmers of hope -- Mesquite's turnout was 50 percent and Boulder City's was 41 percent. Boulder City residents historically have had an unusually high interest in community matters. That interest manifested itself in a hotly debated ballot question, in which voters rejected a misguided pay raise for members of the City Council.

Since many of the incumbents delivered knockout blows in their primary races -- they were automatically elected since they captured more than a majority of the vote -- it is conceivable that there could be an even lower turnout in the general election. It is hoped that the ignominy of Tuesday's turnout doesn't repeat itself in June, especially since a controversial referendum will be on the ballot that proposes the building of a government-run children's hospital.