Once again I watched American Idol this evening (Thursday, April 7, 2011), curious to know which contestant would be voted off.

The contestant eliminated tonight was former frontrunner Pia Toscano.

The three judges were shocked.

“I have no idea what just happened here,” Jennifer Lopez said. “I’m shocked. I’m angry. I don’t even know what to say.”

Randy Jackson was equally outraged. “We’re all in shock. I’m gutted,” he said. “You’re one of the best singers in this. This makes me mad.”

“Lack of passion is unforgivable,” Steven Tyler said, scolding viewers who didn’t vote.

Although I think Pia Toscano has been (by far) the most talented contestant throughout the American Idol competition, the title of this blog post does not refer to this evening’s results.

Rather, it refers to the dismal fact that fewer than half of those eligible to register do so; fewer than half of those who register then vote in national, state, county, and local elections.

If that isn’t a national disgrace, I don’t know what is. I really don’t