Apathy rules in my district
Call it the “Apathy District.” That’s where I live. It hit me last week when I was doing a story about the recent municipal election results. My City Council district, the southwest-side District 3, had the lowest voter turnout — by far — of all four districts. That fact didn’t shock me. I’m pretty sure that has been the case ever since the city began electing councilors by district back in the late 1980s.
Only 1,934 people besides me voted in District 3 this time. As I pointed out in that story I mentioned, more people voted in the north-side District 1 than in Districts 3 and 4 combined.
As I wrote in that article, there are concrete reasons why fewer people vote here (and in District 4). Far more children — who count as residents but aren’t eligible to vote — live in south-side neighborhoods. That means that despite roughly equal populations in all four districts, there are fewer eligible voters in Districts 3 and 4 compared to the other districts. Also, Districts 1 and 2 have a more affluent and better-educated population, which often translates into a higher voting rate. (And no, I’m not saying all people in my part of town are poor and stupid. After all, I am one of them.)
But it’s not just voter turnout that qualifies my area of town to be called the Apathy District. There also is candidate turnout.
District 3 had only one candidate for City Council, Roman “Tiger” Abeyta. I’ve got nothing against Abeyta. In fact, I’m friends with his dad and two of his brothers. But I can’t help but think that a competitive council race would have prompted more folks to go to the polls.
But it’s even worse when it comes to legislative candidates in my part of town.
Earlier this month was filing day for legislative candidates. Once again, my state representative, Democrat Jim Trujillo, was the only one to file for the District 45 seat. Trujillo, who first was appointed to the seat by the Santa Fe County Commission in 2003, has not had a primary opponent since 2004. He’s never faced a Republican — or Libertarian or Green Party — opponent in a general election. So between 2006 and this year, that makes seven races in a row in which Trujillo has gotten a free ride to the Legislature.
There are no state Senate races this year. But I’m not holding my breath for a breathtaking Senate contest here in two years. My senator, Democrat Nancy Rodriguez, has held that office since 1996. Rodriguez, a former county commissioner, initially was appointed to fill the term of longtime Sen. Eddie Lopez, who died that year. Rodriguez won a three-person primary for the District 24 Senate seat. And in 2000, she was challenged by former County Commissioner Rudy “Froggy” Fernandez, whom she beat in the primary.
But since then — in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 — Rodriguez has been unopposed in each primary and general election.
Trujillo is not alone in the free-rides-to-the-Legislature department this year. I count 24 House seats (out of 70) that show no competition in both the primary and general elections. Fellow Santa Fe-area Reps. Brian Egolf and Linda Trujillo (no relation to Jim) are among those. Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, has no primary opponent, But former school board member Jarrett Applewhite is gathering petition signatures to try to get on the general election ballot.
There’s one spark of competitiveness for my part of town this year. My County Commission District 3 has not one, not two but three candidates in the Democratic primary. Filandro Anaya, Rudy Nelson Garcia and Donald Reece are competing to replace incumbent Commissioner Robert Anaya, who isn’t allowed to seek a third consecutive term. There might be competition in the general election, too, as former Commissioner Mike Anaya has announced he wants to run for the position as an independent.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not apathy that causes a shortage of competition for legislative and other elected offices in my part of town. Maybe everyone is so satisfied with the way things are going that they don’t want to rock the boat.
Somehow I don’t believe that.