Voter Apathy

As the AP reported:

If no one votes in a referendum, does the measure pass or fail? That was the question facing local officials after no one voted in Tuesday's local option sales tax election in Jesup. A small part of the town is in Black Hawk County. The rest is in Buchanan County.

Voters everywhere else in Black Hawk County voted to extend the tax another five years.

But in Jesup, officials were wondering if it passed or failed since none of the 27 registered votes who live on the Black Hawk County side voted.

Phyllis Peters, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Secretary of State's Office, said Wednesday the measure failed.

"Unless there are more votes for 'yes' than 'no', it's doesn't pass," Peters said.

Revenues from the 1-cent local option sales tax would have been used for water and sewer services in Jesup.

Jesup officials declined comment.

Your vote counts

Jesup residents lucked out this time, but just think about it.

If you like lower taxes, ifone person had voted for the tax, all 27 residents would have had to pay for it.

If you wanted to see the water and sewer services improved, if one person had voted for the tax, it would have passed.