‘Against All’ ­- disdain as it’s meant to be

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief – January 17, 2014) The Russian State Duma currently appears to be keen on returning the “against all” option on all election ballots, except for presidential elections ­ and this is a good thing.

Critics say that reintroducing the option will only benefit the ruling United Russia party, by chipping away at support for smaller parties and opposition candidates. Such is the short-term outlook, for what it’s worth.

Yet low voter turnout and the looming threat of possible economic problems down the road could potentially turn the “against all” option into an actual incentive for both voters and officials to stop being complacent. Canceling an election is an expensive and embarrassing business, and voters who are actually given the option to vent their spleen will eventually vent it ­ especially during times of economic turmoil or stagnation. In that sense, “against all” could become a powerful deterrent against the notion that, in local politics in particular, a candidate has it made.

“Against all” is also seen by some experts as a way to simply get people, especially younger people, to get used to voting. “Hey, you don’t have to like ANY of the candidates! You can just show up and express your dislike of all of them simultaneously!” is what the implied message is. For many people, voting often hinges on being in the mood to show up ­ and we all know that when you’re young, your mood is frequently disdainful.

In the Moscow mayoral race of 2013, less than one-third of the eligible voters actually turned out. Perhaps if voting “against all” had been an option, we would have indeed seen a stronger turnout ­ even if the results would not have been reassuring.

The thing is, you don’t always have to like the results of an election to recognize the fact that going out to vote is important.