Midterm malaise

Like many families, chances are yours has an elder relative reminding you how fortunate you are to have the right to vote. The spiel starts, “I’ve voted in every election since [old year] …” and ends “… people in [oppressed country] are dying to vote!” Crotchetiness aside, there’s reason to chide: On average, only 60 percent of eligible voters in America vote in presidential elections—40 percent in midterms, like this coming Nov. 6 election. In California, turnout was 58.7 percent for the 2016 presidential election versus 30.9 for the 2014 midterm. Registration efforts intensified this year, but if voters don’t do their part, the trends will hold. Here are turnout figures from recent years: