Commentary ––

Connecticut’s Illusion Of Democracy

By William A. Collins

Voting gives

Our wants a voice;

Too bad there’s

So little choice.

Next November we will each trip off self-righteously to the polls, produce our hallowed drivers’ licenses, close the sacred curtain, flip a series of mystical levers (hoping we’ve gotten them right), proudly emerge, slap on a bright sticker proclaiming our virtue, and feel swell about the democratic process once again. At least until the gloomy results roll in.

All this brief good feeling, however, will be an illusion. Connecticut’s elaborate election system is a fraud. It serves mainly to reenforce the governmental status quo, and to solidify the grip of entrenched incumbents. Not to mention their supporting industries. Not surprisingly, the General Assembly and the governor are loath to pursue reform. Every year, as reform bills sprout and grow, the leadership finds ways to nip them. As a result, in the 2000 election, 71 of the 187 legislative races had only one candidate. Sounds like China.

There are several major reasons for this virtual disappearance of democracy. At the top are money, gerrymandering, and the timing of primaries. While a number of other states have courageously passed campaign finance reform — with dramatic positive results — our governor and legislative leaders want no part of it. Many heroic lawmakers have worked hard to raise the issue, but to no avail. Republicans are especially united in opposition. That’s hardly a surprise, since they have the best access to money. Gov Rowland outraised Barbara Kennelly $6.3 million to $2.3 million in 1998. Be honest — if you were he, would you want reform?

Gerrymandering is another powerful tool to keep out challengers. Last fall, as happens after every census, leaders of the two parties sat together and divvied up the turf. As much as possible, Republican districts were made more Republican and Democratic districts more Democratic. Of course there are always some that don’t lay out quite right for that, or where local disputes can’t be resolved. These end up in real contests. Mostly, though, our election results are as predictable as the old Soviet Union’s. Many potential challengers don’t even bother wasting their time.

But times do change. Not many years ago, party bosses would have topped this list of antidemocratic hazards. Connecticut was long one of the most politically dictatorial states. But self-perpetuation laws have since been weakened, and public tolerance for bosses has waned. Then Bill Curry struck a major blow in 1990 when he upset the party-boss favorite for comptroller at the state convention. And in 1994 he delivered a mortal blow to the system by defeating the party-endorsed candidate for governor in a primary. The steam has gone out of boss-controlled state conventions ever since.

Still, a destructive timing problem remains. You can see it this year with the Democrats. Both Curry and George Jepsen have plenty of delegate votes to force a primary for governor if they want. But the dumb primary isn’t held until September. By that time the poor winner will be out of energy, out of money, and out of luck. In the old days, when the media paid serious attention to campaigns, there was ample free publicity from a primary to make up for that toll. No more. If you want publicity these days you have to pay cash, and the governor has all the cash. Serious states thus hold their primaries in May, not even bothering with conventions. The winner then has time to get his act together. Our leaders won’t hear of anything that practical.

Further eroding our democracy is a governor’s access to free TV advertising. You and I pay for those state tourism commercials, featuring a smiling John Rowland. Since they only play in Connecticut, not in other states, their real purpose is not hard to fathom. And they never feature Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, or Mo Vaughn, just the governor.

Thus is Connecticut’s democracy blatantly artificial. We may not be the most politically corrupt state in the nation, but we’re working at it hard.

(Columnist William A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk.)