Voting In The 21st Century

Midterm essay: Question 4 Voting is very much in the mind of the individual. Many United States citizens feel as though they have a civic duty to vote, that the democratic process doesn 't work unless people are actively participating in it- Others believe that their vote isn 't going to make a difference. Citizens who need the most help from the government and could get the most help, are often unable to have their voices heard. Vote suppression decreases the number of eligible voters and minimizes the electoral power of individuals. With the rise of social media, there are more young people involved in politics now more than ever, but a large number of the younger generation still do not vote. There are several reasons that one might

More than 60 million Americans speak another language than English at home, so why is there such a difficulty getting appropriate translation at polling booths? The VRA (Voting Rights Act) was passed to help protect non-English speakers, however “language barriers continue to persist even in covered jurisdictions, and the VRA often remains unenforced … Lack of access to assistance and materials in a voter’s language prevents eligible voters from being able to engage meaningfully in the electoral process” ( LCCR. Voting Rights Barriers & Discrimination in Twenty- First Century(n.d.): n. pag. LCCR, Mar. 2014. Web). Not only is there a language barrier but also many face discrimination by poll booth workers and other voters. Ageism, racism and even sexism have been reported coming from polling booths- many from Tea Party affiliated groups. (LCCR. Voting Rights Barriers & Discrimination in Twenty- First Century(n.d.): n. pag. LCCR, Mar. 2014. Web.) What can be done to help the population who aren 't native English speakers? Once more, a mail-in ballot system could assist people with a language barrier. While the mail-in system admittedly does have its flaws (the risk of your mail getting lost), the positive aspects greatly outweigh the