A Times reporter attempts to poll Malibu citizens, but runs into a wall of apathy.
By Cathy Neiman/Special to The Malibu Times
It was just another Sunday afternoon in Malibu, a gorgeous November day, two days before the Nov. 5 elections. My assignment was to go out to Malibu and take a voters poll, to ask the public what they think about Proposition EE, choices for state governor, 41st District and so on.
I anticipated there would be a great deal of voter apathy, especially among the 18- to 25-year-old crowd. Yet, to my dismay, it seemed that everyone had a dose of voter apathy. Every time I approached someone, there was a look of fear on their face, like I was going to try to sell them something, or ask for a donation to a worthy cause. People did not want to talk. They either walked away, said they were too busy, or that they were not a registered voter. Anything to avoid talking to me. Yet, there were a few people who did take a few minutes out of their day to talk to The Malibu Times.
I approached a group of purposely-disheveled looking rockers, and asked them if they were going to vote this election. Their answer was a snippy comeback.
“I’m not a registered voter because I don’t want to get picked for jury duty. I’m not going to waste my time making $5 a day. I need to make money, man.”
The guy next to this one said, “Look, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, either way, you’re going to get screwed in the end.”
Why?
“Because they all suck, and it will always be that way, sorry.”
Now, this was not a table of 18-year-olds, these guys were all pushing 30.
I approached another group of men. A little older than the last group, a little more “down-to-earth” looking.
“Are you going to vote,” I asked?
“I can’t, I am a convicted felon,” a man with a handlebar mustached and tattoos on his forearm said as he sucked on a cigarette.
Another: “I would like to vote in this election, but I am registered in San Diego.”
I asked him how long he has been living in Malibu.
“Four years.”
The man on San Diego’s left told me he was part of the homeless population, and the man next to him was a foreigner.
A petite, spry, elderly woman, who was rapidly walking out of Starbucks at the Country Mart gave me an emphatic, “No way!” when asked if she was voting.
And why?
“Because there is no one to vote for. I hate those men! I want to rub dirt on Davis and Simon!”
I finally found a couple of Malibu men near the sandbox with their families who had an interest in this year’s election. Joe and AJ.
Joe said, “I usually vote Republican when it comes to Malibu, but I don’t think I can bring myself to vote for Simon for Governor.”
He explained he didn’t know much about the other issues except for Measure EE (the property tax measure that would fund local schools).
“A definite yes.”
His friend, AJ, said, “I feel the same.”
I found a nice young couple that had just came back from church. When I asked about the election, their faces turned grave. The young man said he didn’t know the issues, but he always voted Republican.
His companion giggled and said, “I don’t take interest in those kind of things.”