This is the fourth TalkBoard race since I have been on FlyerTalk. I didn't follow the first one but I remember that it was a very hotly contested race, with partisans of all the candidates posting all over F/T.
The second one, in which I was elected, was also highly contested -- albeit with some unfortunate posts being put up by both some contestants and their supporters. Signature blocks endorsing various candidates abounded.
The third, last year, saw a change. Members who were not running were no longer permitted to enter the debates. Still, interest was high. Those signature blocks were everywhere and the top candidates received vote totals which dwarfed those of the year before.
This year, the interest seems minimal. Last year, one thread alone had 9297 views (the record for this year, so far, is 783). Signatures supporting any of the candidates are few and far between. Obviously, voter turnout can not yet be determined.
I can't help but wonder why this is. I can see several possibilities, some good and some bad, but most of them in the "bad" category.
** None of the candidates have launched personal attacks against the others. (Good).
** Members believe that TalkBoard is so restricted in its duties that it is irrelevant. (Bad).
** We (the candidates) are either so incompetent or so boring that no one is interested in any of us. (Bad).
** FlyerTalkers care less now about how the community is run than they did in the past. (This would be the worst of all possibilities.)