In a democracy the question that comes up very often is, are people educated enough to make a fair decision on a vote, or are people just too stupid to make an educated decision on a candidate. The question has been around for ages. Whether it is from the early times of ancient Greece or even nowadays it is still debated. From the times of Plato, who had his stance on it, until right this very moment it is a relevant and important question. The question does have only one correct side. The only right way is in a democracy everyone should have the right to vote. Other people believe that only the educated or a certain group should vote, but that way is not right or fair.
"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men." - Lyndon B. Johnson. That quote shows the important in everyone’s vote. People are naturally corruptible and everyone's vote can help to counter that. If everyone's votes are taken and votes are in one groups power, what happens if someone in that group is corrupted, how is that person taken care of if nobody can vote him out? It goes to show that voting is needed in society to keep power in check and to rid the government or ruling power of corrupted officials.
Every person should have the right to vote because they should have a say in their lives and not run by others. People vote for who they think will represent them the best. If that vote is gone then someone who they may or may not support is making their decisions and it may not be in their best interest and there is nothing they can do about it. It does not take an education to vote appropriately. It take...
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...their right to decide who represents them the best is taken away. Others believe that pople are too stupid to vote. In Plato’s Republic, Plato describes his version of the prefect government where only highly educated people called Guardians make decisions. This argument is not realistic and cannot happen. Even a psychologist’s study does not change the fact that people’s votes should not be taken away. That people are ignorant to the fact that they do not know enough to vote properly. When votes are taken away and saved for others democracy starts to fade and go away. The so called democracy starts to turn into a communist government run by the highly educated where only the government know best. Based on all this evidence, no other conclusion can be made than the fact that all people’s votes matter and they are not too stupid to make political decisions.
On the national civics assessment, “two-thirds of 12th graders scored below ‘proficient’…and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation” (O’Connor and Romer 4). The information provided clarifies just how little students know about democracy. Without education on the subject, they are unaware as to how their government contribution is beneficial and why it is needed in the first place. The students, because of their lack of understanding, therefore choose to not take part in their government and fail to carry out their duties as a citizen. The authors provide more research that shows “the better people understand our history and system of government, the more likely they are to vote and participate in the civic life” (O’Connor and Romer 8).
Contrary to what may seem logical, majority votes under a compulsory voting system do not necessarily represent accurate opinion. Rather, compulsion encourages apathy, characterized by “a lack of concern, enthusiasm or interest” ("Definition of Voter Apathy"). In essence, voter apathy “occurs when voters decide that they really don’t care who wins or loses” ("Definition of Voter Apathy") due to “a general feeling that a person’s vote doesn’t matter or even a distrust in regards to how the election is actually being run” ("Definition of Voter Apathy").
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.
Democracy is rule by the people; the people elect governing officials based off of their personal values and beliefs. Different political parties rule the political scene and are serving to represent the people’s opinions in the best ways possible. Previously, I had a belief that my political view was essentially the only one possible and therefore it was the best. These views changed quickly once I learned the different political parties, their views, how they represent the people’s views, and how public opinion shapes politics. The government is formed around differentiating opinions on which policies should be in place and which social aspects need to be considered first. Not only is the government guided by opinion, but the people’s lives are guided by opinion as well. Each individual holds a different view, and each view can have an influence on society. Fortunately, after roughly eight weeks of studying American Government, I now have a better sense of complexity and the value of
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...
One of the greatest problems America faces is the uninformed voter. Jonah Goldberg wrote an article in which he said, "The ignorance of the typical American when it comes to politics is often staggering." He does not mince his words in saying that he believes that normal people of society are not fit in knowledge to the extent of making a just decision of who should act as President. He is not the first to believe this however. The notion that society must be protected from itself when it comes to electing officials goes back to Ancient Greece.
I believe that the single most important societal problem currently is voting right restrictions. November is quickly coming upon us, so does the right to cast our votes for whoever we believe to be the best candidate for the oval office. However, new voting right restrictions will make the voting process harder for certain groups. These laws will affect of upwards to millions of potential voters this coming election. We all have the right to vote. The government also has the right for certain groups to make that ballet harder to cast. The reason that voting right restriction is so important is because it stops numerous people from voting, a specific group of people were targeted, and the reason the law was made is wrong.
In theory, the idea of democracy is a fantastic one, a system where the people can decide for themselves what happens in their lives through voting is truly wonderful. However, a system works only as well as the person
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
Each voter would have to take a test prior to voting to assess whether or not they are actually voting for what they want or just voting because they now are required. Otherwise, the vote of the informed citizens will be cancelled out by the vote of those who are not informed and that would not properly reflect on any group’s desires. Many forced votes would be picked randomly, or whoever comes first on the ballot. Recent work suggests that compulsory voting has no noticeable effect on political knowledge or interest, (Engelen and Hooghe, 2007) nor any evident effect on electoral outcomes (Selb and Lachat, 2007). Democratic rights are founded upon the belief in people’s ability to make rational judgments. If a citizen is rational, and voting is in their own best interest, then there isn’t a need to force them to vote.
Making voting mandatory for all eligible registered voters would make voting part of the list of requirements for every citizen to do, such as jury duty and taxes, and would motivate more people take voting seriously. Opportunities to vote would need to become more common with the influx of people, therefore making voting quicker and easier than it is right now. It wouldn’t take a couple days like jury duty does. Only a few minutes of someone’s time to make a decision if they feel fit to, or they can always write in a name or chose none of the above. No one force them to actually pick a candidate that they would like to be president. They are only made to participate by filling out a ballot showing that they had a chance to vote, but still did not wish to, which is their right that no one is trying to
...n life. However, Plato’s criticisms should be kept in mind when determining the merit of a democratic government. Oh, would it not be great to have a democracy of philosophers, who would pursue truth and wisdom! Alas, we are only human, and susceptible to many evils and lies. The trick is to prevent such ignorant people from becoming the majority. At times, it seems nigh impossible to do so; curse our stupidity!
In deciphering what constitutes the brilliance of democracy then, we find that it is not citizens’ ability to make informed decisions or an unflawed and subtly manipulated election process, but the unapparent way in which democracy persuades citizens – informed or not - and leaders – corrupt or not – toward working to build better, more prosperous societies.
“Plato argued that those who are expert at winning elections and nothing else will eventually dominate democratic politics. The reason for this was that most people do not have the kinds of talents that enable them to think well about the difficult issues that politics involves.” (Instrumental Argument against Democracy) Plato did not agree because democracy was the miss idea of equality of people. Democracy chose the majority vote from people, but most of Greeks did not have virtual and knowledge.
All that can really be seen is what appears before ourselves. What we see on billboards, television, or radio show constantly the views of a new runner for politics whom proclaims what he or she wishes to accomplish. Listening to it, one can create a thought of why did they choose that topic for an argument? Today not all people vote so the ones who do are the people these “runners” focus on. Why would they fight to create increased pay to schools if all the voters are the elderly? Why not focus upon retirement benefits or healthcare? As citizens we have complaints on how the government manages our money and yet we do not do anything about it. Voting gives a chance. If certain groups grew in votes different ideas would be made for these “runners”. Say the young adults started to vote a lot more. We could have schooling benefits, less tuition fees, higher education levels, and possibly a large increase in jobs. One United Kingdom publisher explains, “If you vote, the campaigners urge, the politicians will have to listen to you and things will change.”(Kirkup, The Telegraph). Also youth have the longest time, and live what the country becomes. To conclude, voting doesn’t take long and doesn’t require almost any effort. All it requires just an open mind and yet people just do not realize this opportunity. Right now we could be living in the richest most opportunistic country if everyone could understand what can become of our views. Life could be looked forward not