On telling signs

Time reports on how voter turnout was affected by news that Russian elections are purely stage-managed affairs in which the governing party chooses which opponents it sees fit to allow to run:

There was, however, a downside to choosing the uncompetitive scenario. The voter turnout was low in Novgorod — a dismal 36% — because without a real alternative, voters simply saw no point in going to the polls, says Zhukovsky, the co-author of the governor’s strategy.

Needless to say, 36% turnout would look like substantial progress compared to the 25% registered in Regina's last civic election. And hopefully a far wider range of alternatives will help us to leave that sad level of citizen disengagement far behind.