Today, I had a letter to the editor published in the
Poughkeepsie Journal. You can view it online
here or read below:
In the Town of Poughkeepsie Ward 5 last Tuesday, seven of the 13
races on the ballot featured a single candidate running unopposed. This
goes against the nature of a true democracy, and there is no excuse for
it. Voting for candidates is supposed to be a free and open choice.
However, with just one candidate, it becomes what is called a “Hobson’s
choice.” This term refers to the illusion of a “free” choice where there
is really only one option. In other words, “take it or leave it.” Yet
still, candidates run unopposed and get re-elected continuously. Nothing
ever changes, because voters aren’t willing to create change. While
unopposed candidates do create a Hobson’s choice, you always have the
option to “leave it.” I regret that more voters did not choose this
option by either writing in a candidate or not voting at all for those
offices. If they had, perhaps we could have made a dent in the system.
Gregory Koch
Poughkeepsie
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