Voter Fatigue Isn’t Apathy. It’s A Demand For Accountability

And maybe there’s a way politicians can provide it.

Deborah A. Wilson | October 30, 2026

Every election season, politicians manage to rediscover the average American voter.  Suddenly, they develop an interest in visiting our neighborhoods, listening attentively to our concerns about rising expenses, and promising that things will be different — if we’re willing to elect them.  For a few months, ordinary citizens actually become the center of Washington’s attention.

Unfortunately, once the election is over, all that extra attention disappears, along with the apparent willingness to listen to the heartfelt pleas of the very people who put them in office.

Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but I have often wondered why we accept a standard of accountability from our elected representatives that we would never tolerate in our personal or professional lives.  We expect people to honor their commitments, and when they fail to do so, we seldom hesitate to ask for an explanation.  Sometimes, we even apply a little pressure to get one.  Why should public office be different?

With the November midterms just around the corner, I think that question deserves more than another round of carefully crafted campaign speeches.

An October 15 AP-NORC survey found that eight in ten voters want substantial change or an overhaul of how the country is run.  One in ten expressed optimism about........

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