The chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party expressed disbelief that voters in Fayette County would elect “an admitted non-Christian” to the school board. [“The Citizen” online, 2013-02-17 Letters to the Editor, Scott Fabricius] I have seen only one signed response and two anonymous bloggers objecting to this statement. Other than that, there has been no outcry.
Mr. Fabricius should be aware that Article VI of the United States Constitution specifies that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States (emphasis added).
Mr. Fabricius seems as well to suggest that “by-district” voting has disenfranchised 80 percent of Fayette County voters.
It would be more appropriate to say that nearly 80 percent of Fayette County registered voters routinely disenfranchise themselves by not voting.
The data are not always easy to extract from the reports on the Fayette County website, but the portion of registered voters who cast ballots seems to hover around 20-25 percent in recent primary and general elections, and 10-15 percent in runoff elections.
The notable exception was the “Sunday-liquor-sale referendum” where turnout at the polls hovered around 60-65 percent. It’s utterly amazing to me what people think is important — and what they seem not to think is important.
“People get the government they deserve” is an aphorism, not a law of nature. Nevertheless, it is something worth thinking about, whether we are talking about the government of a nation, state, county, or municipality, or the leadership of a political party.
Paul Lentz
Peachtree City, Ga.
