Hey Democracy, where's the show?

Dear Democracy,

Maybe you've heard that 14 candidates for the Alaska State Legislature are running unopposed this year. We're pretty sure that's not what you had in mind when you started out so many centuries ago. We The Concerned know you're doing your best with what Alaska has given you, but would you please try to be more exciting in your own right? The state's future depends on it.

Alaska is facing a very important election cycle -- for various economic and social reasons -- but from what we've been noticing, Alaskans just don't seem that stoked about the whole thing. That causes us great concern.

We've read several theories to explain why it could be happening. But knowing why will be little solace to The Concerned if, as has been more or less customary for quite some time, fewer than two-thirds of Alaska voters end up weighing in on the general ballot.

Every election, we find ourselves very concerned that no one will vote -- literally, a zero return. Luckily, people keep showing up, but there's always a first time for them not to. With all the anti-federal sentiment being flung around lately, we're very worried that Alaskans haven't told anyone they've already decided to send just one delegate to Capitol Hill in 2011 (heads up, Sen. Begich) and to make a few people share the governor's office.

One explanation we've read for all this apparent disinterest is that the campaigns aren't spending much yet. With donations suffering because of the generally poor economy, saving up for a general election seems prudent. But we think that's a mistake for some of the campaigns; you probably know this, but each party primary only elects one nominee for each office. If some of these campaigns don't start spending now, they might not get the chance.

Congressman Don Young's opponents, for instance, should be spending like crazy right now. His campaign recently reported that it has about a quarter of a million dollars in the bank, which compared to totals from past elections, makes him seem quite vulnerable. In fact, The Concerned is astonished that non-incumbent Republicans aren't throwing wads of cash out there to lure undeclared Alaskans to vote in the closed Republican primary.

But really, what does money have to do with it? In 2008, We The Concerned remember seeing hundreds of handmade political signs, and because of the economic downturn and the recent rise of "grassroots" activism, we figured we'd see even more handcrafted election paraphernalia in 2010. So far, we haven't. Maybe everyone has forgotten how to dip a fist in red paint and hold it high on the nearest street corner -- but then, maybe 2008 is another part of the problem.

The most compelling reason we've seen for this crisis of interest is that it's all in our heads. In other words, this election only feels dead boring because there's no overarching controversy or really big, crazy circus. In 2008, Alaska learned what a real Outside-style political knife-and-pony fight looks like. And back in 2006, practically everyone was being investigated for corruption. The idea is that after all that hoopla, an ordinary election just feels drab. Basically, Alaska voters find themselves leaning hard on the coffee urn at a 12-step meeting after almost five years of straight-up political freebasing.