Press Herald, AP quote Brewer in reports on voter apathy, ‘dark money’
The Portland Press Herald spoke with Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, for the article, “When it comes to casting ballots, some Mainers elect not to.” In the last midterm, Maine had the highest turnout of any state, about 58.5 percent of registered voters. Still, there are pockets of disillusion, alienation and, sometimes, apathy, the article states. Brewer said he thinks the current political climate is having an impact. “It can work differently among different types of people,” he said. “People who tend to pay at least a minimal amount of attention, they might be more likely to vote. But if you’re a more tenuous participant, if you don’t always vote, you might be more likely to throw up your hands or tune out. There is a difference between apathy and alienation. Apathy is bad, but alienation is far worse.” Brewer said voting has to become habitual, and that takes time. Sun Journal published the Press Herald article. Brewer also was quoted in the Associated Press article, “‘Dark money’ helps fuel litany of campaign ads in … Maine?” Brewer spoke about Maine’s 2nd District congressional seat race between Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin and Democratic challenger Jared Golden. “A huge amount of money is going into that race. That tells you how close the race is, how important the race is, not just in Maine but nationally,” he said. The Times Record and Merced Sun-Star of California carried the AP report.