The March 21 issue reported on the results of APA's 2007 election and noted that only 9,231 APA members voted. They represented only 29 percent of all APA members eligible to vote. This means that more than 22,000 members did not vote (assuming there were 31,800 members eligible to vote).

This is a joke. Imagine if only 29 percent of all eligible voters cast ballots for president and vice president of the United States!

Whether this apathetic electorate did not vote because they believe that APA does nothing for them or is irrelevant to them or that the candidates are pure politicians interested only in themselves and not other members or psychiatry in general (and one hears both points of view), if you are an APA member, you should vote. Why bother paying APA's dues if you do not vote?

By the way, even though I recognize the legitimacy of the above points of view, I voted.