The experiment of democracy dates back to 1776 when we first got freedom from Great Britain. Back then, only white men who owned land could vote. Today, we are blessed that every citizen in America has the right to vote. Voting is the foundation of the representative democracy and our constitution. Believe it or not, in the 2012 election, only 53.6% of the voting population voted. The question is, why don’t people vote? Voting is beneficial because it is an advantage to you, it’s your voice, and it’s a right Americans fought for.
There is no doubt that voting is an advantage for Americans. There are many places in the world where it is not easy to vote. For example, in Afghanistan, people have to contend with terrorist attacks in order to cast a vote. Despite the threats from Taliban, Afghan women risk their lives to put in a vote for the local councils or presidential elections. In some places, like Eritrea, Bangladesh, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, people aren’t allowed to vote because of their monarchy system. Through voting, you are also able to change so many things in your community, like more security, good local roads, a community swimming pool. With your vote, you can take advantage and make your community or
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It isn’t really that long ago that women suffragettes were protesting on the streets. Swaths of the population like women and African-Americans were denied the right to vote. Women gained suffrage in 1919, which means the grandmothers of many not-voting millennials were alive when they weren’t allowed to cast a ballot! This connects to how my mother thinks of voting as a responsibility and civic duty in order to pay back our ancestors and make sure their fight was worth it. It’s fascinating how people can’t give a single vote just to appreciate the fact that their ancestors suffered greatly to earn the right to vote for everyone. Voting is a way to honor our
First, one reason why Americans should be required to vote is that it will educate the citizens. Evidence supporting this reason is in “Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma, American Political Science Review” Aaron Lijphart stated that “By compelling people to vote, we are likely to arouse in them an intelligent interest and to give them a political knowledge that do not at present possess.” This evidence helps explain why Americans should be required to vote because when citizens are required to vote it gives them a political understanding that they didn't have before voting. Most citizens will research
The Chartist movement (a working class political movement) in 1840 believed “People had no one else but themselves to blame for the actions of their politicians” (Nash). What Mr. Nash and the chartist movement believe couldn’t be more on the spot. This country has gotten to the point where people find it hard to walk down their street to the elementary school where the voting polls are, and take a few minutes to cast a vote. A vote that millions of people around the world wish they were able to have them selves. With all the political suffrage that goes on through the world and people forced to love a leader, these no-shows should be thankful to live in a democracy. A place where elections aren’t rigged and the people are truly heard. This is why the topic of voting turnout needs to be raised. Also it’s very annoying to hear people complaining about our President when they did not even vote. It’s a very bad habit to not vote, and it needs to change with the younger citizens of this country. Helping younger people see the importance of voting needs to start with technological and educational ideas while expanding all the way to social event ideas. Only then will America’s ability to find answers to voting turnout increase.
Some Americans might believe that being able to vote and participate in presidential elections is one of the truest forms of democracy, but this is not the case. Not only are elections non-democratic, but also America itself is not a democracy. The truth is, some Americans dislike the way our political system functions
Austin Ranney does not dread that low voting is hurting American democracy. Arend Lijphart believes that democracy is meaningless without voting. The fact that to many people do not vote for Presidential or Congressional elections concerns him. With numbers like 49 and 55 percent of the eligible population voting on Presidential elections, Lijphart questions the actual democracy in America. Low voting turnouts is giving large groups more control over government ideals. Lijphart thinks the best way to solve this problem is to raise turnouts in a variety of ways. Things like weekend voting and easier ways of acquiring absentee ballots will increase the number of voters. Also, having multiple elect...
The primary source that I received for my oral presentation was Black Women and the Suffrage (1915) by Nannie Burroughs. In this document Nannie states that when the ballot is placed in the hands of an African American woman that she then holds the power and strength that many poets and scholars can never achieve. She then tells how a lot of black men can’t even tell the value of receiving a ballot in their very own hands and because of that they tend to sell all of their valuables and Burroughs was afraid that women would do the same thing as well. Nannie explains how black women need a ballot in order to gain back their wisdom since men misused it for the wrong reasons. Black women who do go out and do the ballots they tend to feel as if
America, at its founding, was radically democratic relative to the time period, but was still far from being a true democracy. In 1776, as the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were many restrictions on voting: only white, property owning, males had the right to vote. This leaves out all women, all Natives, all African Americans, and all men who were not rich; all of those groups made up a large percent of the population. The founding fathers of the United States also didn’t fully believe in the people’s ability to vote intelligently. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that women were too consumed in childcare and were too delicate to be trusted with the power of voting. He also said to James Sullivan, another politician, that if voting were to be more widespread, that it would be dangerous because it could, “confound and destroy all distinctions, prostrate all ranks…” (John Adams 1776).
Using the advantage to civically participate benefits America’s future as well as your own and the people around you. Taking the chance to vote is something that many people in the world can’t do. Neglecting your privileges to do so is deemed irresponsible, and rightfully so. By voting with an educated choice, you show responsibility as a citizen as you are taking care of a civic
Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.
Democracy demands for its citizens to participate, which includes voting. With a majority of the nearly three hundred million adult citizens in the United States not even showing up to often at elections, from local to federal, the bureaucracy on Capitol Hill seems to retain the largest vote. The American system is a revolution of
The foundation of democracy rests in the hands of the people. Voting and political participation are essential privileges of a democracy. Not being able to vote for whatever reason is a denial of citizenship. However, in recent times voting has become extremely difficult for a majority of the country. Voters have the right to express their voice for change through voter registration reform and compensating the lower class and middle class.
It’s not an everyday thing where you need to leave your house and go vote. In primary election of 2016, I voted. When I stepped into the poll, I felt like I was making a very important decision. At the same time, I felt like how most of us feel when we vote; a little fish in the ocean. We may not notice it but every vote counts. It has been proven that when a majority of the population votes during an election, there is a higher chance of having a successful democracy. That’s how I feel. The more votes, the
What is voting? How can everyone votes differ in election? In my opinion voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or electorate to make a decision or expression an opinion- often following a discussions, debate or campaign. Young voters represent more diverse population than the general voting population. In 2010 midterms, 66 percent of young voters were white, 14 percent were black, 15 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian.
Have you ever been persuaded into voting? Well, you should have your own say on where your opinion goes. Voting is a right that every citizen in America over the age of 18 can do. Many people have become aware of the fact that the number of voters had reached its all time low. But as the newest voting season comes closer, we should still have a voice and the freedom to decide what we do. Which is, take a step against making America a compulsory voting country, because it proves unnecessary and there are other alternatives than mandatory voting.
Voting is the easiest and simplest way of public participation, as well as making the voters feel like they are directly involved in the process. Certain aspects, such as the Electoral College, eliminate this feeling of involvement. The best way for elections to work would be a nationwide popular vote. This would bring a meaning to the term “true democracy” and will get the people, as a whole, the chance to participate in electing the highest officials.
The action of voting is such important role in how our country is going to be developed, especially effects on the economy, foreign relationships, society, etc. People are becoming much involved in politics, which is extraordinary because it means that the people are understanding how important their vote is and how it brings change to the issues that truly bother them. Many citizens don’t vote because they are either lazy or too busy, they either have jobs, classes, families, or other responsibilities take care of, but voting is a responsibility that should be attended. Voting could be the thing to prevent awful political leader’s to be put in office who are not focusing on what’s truly important, which is the people, which means that