Democracy can not exist without basic rights, opportunities, and resources for its citizens. Rights allow for the greatest amount of freedom, opportunities allow citizens to exercise those rights, and resources make it possible to enact changes.
Rights are a fundamental part of democratic institutions to provide protection of it's citizens and ensure the greatest possible freedom under democracy. One of the most basic rights of universal suffrage which was promised to the people of the united states in the constitution has all but most recently been denied. This unequal protection of rights of women, and African Americans was corrected or attempted to be corrected with the 15th, 19th, and 24th amendment to the constitution (p. 128). The issue of voter suppression is still in existence with voter ID requirements in Wisconsin, and voter exclusion (Cooper, 2011). Voter ID requirements in Texas allow for concealed handgun licenses to be acceptable, but not student ID cards (Cooper, 2011). The system should not allow disenfranchisement of one class of voters or the favoritism of another. Favoritism exists to the smaller states at the expense of the larger ones. Certain rights of representation fall short of the ideal goal in Congress.
The right of equal representation is not in effect with the design of the Senate. The power of the small states to exert greater influence over the legislative process is damaging the democratic process. This power is also exerted over constitutional amendments to change its power and control. This problem echos itself in the electoral college due to the, “number of electors equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives” of that state (p. 81).
The continued use of the electo...
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... to listen or face the wrath of revolution or rebellion. The Civil Rights protests that brought about civic changes can be looked at as an example of changes brought about by demands for greater political equality.
The income and wealth inequality is exerting greater influence over political life. With this control over the political process it allows for changes to be in the hands of the few largely oligarchic institutions.
Works Cited
Super pacs. (2011, September 30). Retrieved from http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php? Cycle=2012
Cooper, M. (2011, October 02). New state rules raising hurdles at voting booth. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/us/new-state-laws-are-limiting-access-for- voters.html
Dahl, R. A. (2003). How democratic is the american constitution?. (2 ed.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
For weeks convention delegates have been argued over representation in congress, Large States want it based on population. Small states want each states to have the same number of votes. representative s shall be apportioned according to population. The number of shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one representatives. This piece of evidence relates to the argument because they said that big states has more power than small states that is why big states only need one representative.
Schiller, W. J., Geer, J. G., & Segal, J. A. (2013). Gateways to democracy: introduction to American government, the essentials. (2nd ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;.
The voter ID issue starts with certain laws that, in the US, require that a person show a form of official ID before they are allowed to register to vote. This issue has split both Republicans and Democrats. According to Kenneth Jost, “republicans say [voter-ID laws] are needed to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Democrats say the laws are not needed and are being pushed in order to reduce voting among groups that skew Democratic in elections especially Latinos and African Americans” (Jost, p. 171). Both of these perspectives are valid, and with an open mind, can both sides have important points about the validity and inclusion of elections. On one hand, it is crucial to prevent fraud and keep the elections free of error, otherwise the outcome could be an unfair ruling. On the other side of the argument, voter-ID laws can cause discrimination and prevent people from voting, also
Today, the citizens of the United States must push Congress to formulate an oversight measure to fix voter disenfranchisement. By itself, Supreme Court Ruling Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder does minimal damage to the voting process of the United States. The court ruled discriminatory practices of district actions half a century old unconstitutional, but left a responsibility for Congress to modernize the Voting Rights Act, to ensure that no district nor individual is discriminated against. Given the history of the United States’s voter suppression and the original need for the Voting Rights Act, a new, modern voter equality policy is of dire importance.
Robert Dahl's book How Democratic is the American Constitution, reminds us that the American Constitution wasn't the only possible base for a democratic system in America. In this book Dahl explains some of the democratic and undemocratic aspects of the American constitution. He also explains what should be changed to improve it.
Hasen, Richard. "Voter Suppression's New Pretext." the New York Times 16 November 2013: A- 19. Print.
Such as, there are two senators for each state. But there are states that have a higher population than others, but still only represented by two senators. Since, there are places that have a smaller population, their vote towards the senate or for certain ideas is much more impacted. For example, if a state has ten people living it compared to a hundred then the being in the state with ten people is more beneficial. Your voice is heard and placed into the votes that the senator takes to the Senate. Whereas, if you are in a state with one hundred people, your voice is less likely to be heard and will have less of an impact. This is what Dahl is trying to share with us throughout the novel. I began to understand that we need more representation in the Senate close to Chapter
National Conference of State Legislatures. Wendy Underhill , 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Patel, R. (2012). Forget College, You're Popular! A Review of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Mcgeorge Law Review, 43, 645-654.
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
But the government’s heart can be sapped by incumbents. This threat shows that the Framers failed to create a necessary check on the legislative branch to prevent incumbents from manipulating the districts of voters for self-gain. Hence, my amendment is necessary to protect the government’s democracy-heart. If politicians choose their voters rather than the other way around, is the United States still a democracy at all? Or is it simply a governmental tin man with no
Famous American poet James Russell Lowell once said, “Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor” (“Quotations” 2011). And it should be just that. James Russell Lowell successfully defined democracy when it is in its truest form; a citizen’s beliefs should be equally represented and considered for. The representative democracy instated in the United States presents the need for three branches in the government; they include the executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The Congress embodies the lawmaking branch of the government, having “all legislative powers” as it is stated in Article I of the Constitution. To prevent one state from having too much power over other states, the Congress was separated into the House of Representatives and the Senate to have checks and balances over each other. Although they have several different functions in society, both legislative bodies play a very important role in representing both the citizens’ and government’s choices.
Although the rules and regulations for voting in the United States have been changed over the course of history, there are some major updates needed to the voting system as a whole. The system used today may have worked well in the past, but with the hardcore and fast-paced politics used today, and the advancements in technology over the past few centuries, the system has holes throughout it, and has failed time and time again, with a good possibility of failing once again in future elections.
“Voter ID laws require individuals to show government-endorsed identification when casting their ballots on Election Day” (Wilson and Brewer). Many people see these laws as necessary to prevent voting fraud, others argue that fraud is extremely rare and that voter ID laws can suppress voting. Voter fraud undermines public confidence in democracy, and that's why we need, whether you are a Democr...
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.