Stay Home at Your Peril

Getting voters to the polls Tuesday will be like hauling them to the dentist. The gubernatorial race is a hold-your-nose choice between Gov. Gray Davis and GOP challenger Bill Simon Jr. Even those who plan to vote aren’t happy about their choices, according to a Los Angeles Times poll published this week.

Millions more registered voters are expected to not bother to vote. But they should at least think of the big issues at stake in this election. What they don’t do could affect them for years to come.

Consider the $13-billion state bond issue for building new schools, or the splitting of Los Angeles, or whether there will be an emergency room available if that nonvoter has a heart attack or is hurt in an auto accident.

The voter who stays home may say it doesn’t make any difference. But it does. Someone will be elected governor -- either Davis or Simon -- and he will shape the fiscal future of California, deciding whether there should be higher taxes or massive cuts in state services. Voters also will fill six other state offices that play important roles in the lives of Californians.

The lieutenant governor could wind up running the state if the governor’s office becomes vacant. The controller is a fiscal watchdog who also serves on scores of boards and commissions such as the California State Lands Commission, which can have a big effect on the environment. The treasurer helps decide where the huge state retirement systems will invest the billions that fund the pensions of hundreds of thousands of teachers and state and local workers.

Will the nonvoter’s auto insurance cost more or less? The insurance commissioner will decide. And, as we have learned -- the hard way -- the commissioner can cozy up to insurance firms at the expense of policyholders.

By failing to vote for the school bonds in Proposition 47, the stay-at-homers may be dooming more than 1 million schoolchildren to crowded, deteriorating classrooms or flimsy temporary buildings. A good education begins with a decent teaching environment.

The state Board of Equalization decides which items are subject to the sales tax. Its four members will be elected.

It’s understandable that voters are discouraged and even disgusted by the nature of modern election campaigns. But the nasty ads don’t necessarily reflect the ability of the candidates to do the job. Someone’s going to be elected. It might as well be one who best represents your interests.