Every town hall meeting seems packed. Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, New Gingrich, Rick Santorum all draw full audiences (though of course the respective campaigns carefully choose venues depending on the expected crowds to ensure the venues look full). Even Jon Huntsman is drawing decent crowds. Looking at the events, one would think this is a multi-way race, and that all the candidates will get similar number of votes.
But the key point is not all voters attend town hall meetings. Most see some ads, look at some news, look at endorsements. And they cause elections to turn a certain way. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone who voted attended a town hall meeting? An informed voter is the best voter.
Some time ago when we had a local community meeting to decide whether we should have a rotary or traffic lights at a nearby intersection, folks who attended really knew the pros and cons. They had done their research. It was a lively and informed dialogue. It is a pity that all voters are not able spend the time understanding all dimensions of issues and candidates. A democracy can only work well when everyone is equally well-informed and invested in the process! I can't blame it all on lack of interest - people who need 2 or more jobs to make ends meet simply do not have the time.
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