THE BIG PROBLEM with voting is the eligible voters who don’t vote (Shutterstock).

In the classic movie (and actual historical record), investigative reporters were directed to the heart of the Watergate conspiracy by this pithy advice: “Follow the money.”

In trying to sort out the motivations of people (and groups) who are pushing for a particular issue, my personal compass tends to point toward this Latin phrase: “cui bono” (or “cui bon est”) which means, roughly this: who benefits?

One of the measures on the primary ballot for the November general election is the California Voter ID initiative which – if approved by voters – which would require voters to provide identification and U.S. citizenship verification to cast a ballot.  The problem – real or imagined – is the possibility of voter fraud.

Well, there’s a big problem with voting, all right. But it’s a little different than the one that will be contested this fall.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the last presidential election in 2024, of the 73.6 percent of the citizen voting-age population who were registered to vote (about 174 million people) only 65.3 percent voted.

That means that fewer than two-thirds of citizens actually cast a ballot in an era when it is easier than ever to vote. You can do it by mail, in person, at a secure drop box, etc.. One third, essentially, “sat this one out.”

I suspect that so many people do feel so disconnected from the political process – or are just lazy-bones – that no amount of incentive would move the needle. For some folks, even if the registrar of voters came to your house, brought you a layer cake, petted your dog and gave you a hot stone massage and a $100 gift card card to Target, millions of Americans would still yawn and say, “What’s in it for me?”

Many educators –and not without some good reason – focus their efforts on making sure that today’s kids “can code” or learn a second language.

But a disturbing number of the end result is that a lot of them in adulthood think the U.S. Constitution is just an old boat in Boston Harbor or that “separation of powers” has something to with how the NFL keeps the Rams and Eagles in separate divisions.

When government does something dumb – and this is something both major parties do – we’re tempted to ask, “Who could do such a dumb thing? Who elected these idiots?”

Well, the better question might be this: Is it possible that dumb or corrupt politicians benefit from voters who don’t vote, or don’t know much about who or what they’re voting for.

“Cui bono,” fellow Americans.