Lack of Candidates

The old joke question: “What if they held an election and nobody came?” was referring to voters, I believe.

Nowadays, here in the 21st century, we are seeing elections all across the country with - not a lack of voters – but a lack of candidates.

Let's look at rural Wisconsin, for an example. There are many local races being held with no candidates for offices. In Calumet County – out of 21 districts - three had no candidates for local board seats. There, 66% of the seats are uncontested.

While some races have no one running, some have only 1 person seeking office. Uncontested elections are the majority in many counties all across the nation.

According to Ballotpedia, approximately 66% of seats in the county of Calumet, Wisconsin in 2023 were uncontested. In Winnebago County half its board seats are uncontested.

Many possible reasons pop into mind. One is that while elected officials perform their roles in budgeting, overseeing local services, parks, roads, there is not much attention paid by the public – unless something goes wrong. In today's times this could be book bans, gender bathroom usage and that sort of issue. Many are deterred from seeking office because of the drama these uproars cause.

Incumbents who have served numerous terms bring stability, quality, institutional knowledge to the position but younger people could bring new ideas. However, the younger generations are not seeking offices, leaving the electorate with no choice. Indeed, it is not just the age of those seeking the US Presidency that is under the spotlight. (Take a closer look at the ages of US Senators.) Choice is good in mostly everything: schools, supermarkets, medical services. We do not want to give up choice.

In liberty,

Audrey Taggart

This is an editoral from one of our members and not the official position of the Martin County Republican Executive Committee.