Should someone who wants to be senator prove that they are even tangentially involved in the political process by casting a vote in elections?

In Caroline Kennedy's case, she better hope that the answer is no:

Caroline Kennedy wants to be the next senator from New York, but her voting record is already spotty, the Daily News has found.

City Board of Elections records show Kennedy has failed to vote in many elections since she registered in the city in 1988 - including votes for the Senate seat she hopes to fill and numerous Democratic faceoffs for mayor.

"It doesn't speak to a deep-felt commitment to the electoral process," Baruch College political scientist Doug Muzzio said when told of Kennedy's ballot breakdowns.

Records show Kennedy did not pull the lever for any of her fellow Democrats in city primary races for mayor in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and 2005, which Republicans went on to win three out of four times in the general election.

She was also AWOL for the primary and general elections in 1994, when Sen. Daniel Moynihan was running for reelection to the seat Kennedy hopes to hold.

Aides to Kennedy - who Thursday said she was running in part because this is no time to "sit out" - conceded Thursday night that at times the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy has done just that.

Most of the time, she voted, aides said. A review by The News found that of the 38 contested elections since 1988, Kennedy skipped about half, almost all of them primaries.

This just reinforces the notion that the rich heiress sees politics as a birthright and not as a calling where serving the people is the number one priority. Not voting in primaries can probably be excused on the grounds that not taking sides is good politics sometimes.

But there is no excuse for not voting in the general election. It gives the impression that she really isn't serious.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky