Voter apathy cause for concern, says Atherley

Former Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley says a growing sense of voter apathy is the issue that worries him most as Barbados heads into the February 11 general election.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY on Wednesday, Atherley warned that detachment from the political process could weaken democratic participation.

He said his concern was shaped by both recent polling data and what he has observed while moving across the country attending political meetings.

“What worries me more than anything else, I think at this point, is what seems to be reflected in public sentiment,” Atherley said. “I think it was captured by the polling information…, but also from my own movement around from place to place – the seeming growing level of apathy out there.”

Atherley said democracy depended not only on elections being held, but on citizens understanding their circumstances and choosing to participate.

“Democracy to me is very much dependent upon a people’s understanding of their socio-political situation at present and the prospects, and the people’s willingness to participate in the process, if there’s some degree of enthusiasm,” he said.

While acknowledging that voter turnout has been declining for several election cycles, Atherley said the situation appeared to be worsening.

“The seeming detachment from the process of persons – I don’t know if it is that they simply do not want in larger numbers, they do not want to say how they’re going to vote, or if they are in fact not planning to vote,” he said.

He suggested that social media may be contributing to this disengagement, noting that online discourse often replaces direct participation.

“A lot of people pay attention to what is happening in social media and therefore the physical presence is not necessarily there. People also share a lot on social media, but that worries me,” Atherley said.

Atherley said disappointment appeared to be a significant driver of voter apathy, stressing that the trend was not new but was becoming more pronounced.

“I think it’s a serious level of disappointment. It’s not new, but obviously it is growing,” he said. “We’ve seen it in the last couple of elections.”

He added that social media has amplified distrust, allowing unverified claims to circulate freely.

“People can have anything said without challenge in social media. People read things in the social media, they don’t have evidence to go along with it… and I think it has significant influence on people,” Atherley said.

According to Atherley, some voters have long felt disconnected from the electoral process because they believe political outcomes do not materially affect their lives.

He also pointed to broader societal shifts, including changing interests and distractions, which he believes have contributed to declining engagement.

“Over time we’ve always had people who are not enthused about being involved in the electoral process because they believe that nothing changes for them as individuals.

“Life in Barbados, just like everywhere else, has come on a pace. Things that people perhaps were interested in one time, they don’t have that degree of interest anymore,” Atherley pointed out.

Despite these challenges, Atherley said voter disengagement should not be attributed solely to the performance of any one political party.

“I don’t think it’s because Party A has done badly or Party B has done badly,” he said. “I think in Barbados, people believe that both parties have done well and both parties have done ill.”

He said the challenge now was ensuring voters remained engaged enough to make informed choices.