An excellent opinion piece written by syndicated columnist, Maria Elena Salinas.

The political conventions in the next couple of weeks will have to be the most exciting, most extravagant, most appealing and most motivating ever in the history of conventions. If Democrats and Republicans don’t do something to fire up their base of supporters, we could be looking at an election in which apathy gets the upper hand.

The campaign currently is going through its usual summer lull. That is to be expected. But there is something going on out there that concerns me. I have heard too many people say that they are so confused or disenchanted with both candidates that they are thinking not of crossing party lines, but of not voting. Canyou imagine?

Now, this is totally anecdotal and not based on any polling data, but I keep getting a similar reaction to the election from Democratic, Republican and independent voters in different parts of the country. That is certainly a contrast from this year’s primary season, in which voters showed an unprecedented interest in the political process. Many states reported record voter-turnout rates, particularly among Democrats.

The discontent among many Americans with the Bush administration and the novelty of having a woman and an African-American as front-runners on the Democratic side didn’t just give the press a lot of material to cover, it gave voters an incentive. Now it seems like that passionate enthusiasm for the candidates has turned into a double-edged sword.

Many of those who had their heart set on Hillary Clinton are still having trouble with the idea of supporting Barack Obama, even if he is from the same party. And among Republicans, John McCain doesn’t seem to be stirring up a lot of passion. Some of the comments I hear about the candidates are so outrageous that they are not worth repeating. It makes you wonder if people are listening to the candidates’ speeches, or just the pundits and critics. The bottom line is that both parties are going to have to entice voters during their conventions with riveting speeches and alluring promises. In the words of one political expert, the conventions are going to have to be “mind-blowing.”

The success of the Nov. 4 election for both parties will depend on how many people vote. They both have to mobilize their base. In 2004, there was a record voter turnout in the general election. Sixty-three percent of eligible voters cast their ballots — 15 million more than in 2000 — and 47.2 percent of eligible Hispanic voters turned up at the polls, up 2 percent from the previous election.

It would be a major setback for our democratic process if all of a sudden voters decided not to cast their ballots because of lack of interest in the campaign or the candidates. I always say that if you have the right to vote and choose not to, you don’t have the moral authority to complain about the government. So, pay attention, make your choice and vote.