Can I Cast My Vote For "None Of The Above" ?

Lynn Swann, the Republican candidate for governor, is taking a beating in the Inquirer for his voting record. They reported he had an almost perfect voting record in the last ten elections (voted in nine) but was far from perfect if you go back for the last 36 elections (voted in only 20 or just over 50% of the elections).

Shockingly, the Inquirer story emphasized Swann's lower percentage, the 20 out of 36, when it could have just as easily used the more recent 9 out of 10. I think it is fair to say one could spin Swann's record either way. Methinks the Inquirer first checked with Governor Rendell (Swann's opponent) to see if Fat Eddie had a spin preference.

But I digress. The media proclaims our number one duty is to vote when they are not proclaiming our number one duty is to pay higher and higher taxes. I say give me a chance to go into the voting booth and pull a lever marked "None Of The Above" ! Then I will be sure to vote in almost every election except for those wheeny primaries like the one in May of 2005 (only about 12-15% of eligible voters actually voted).

The candidates must earn your vote- am I right? So why give your vote to the lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, that's what we typically are forced to do on election day if we choose to vote. I submit the lack of good candidates helps to explain why this great country has relatively low voter turnout.