by Anna Schlauch
Elections
and voting are the most important aspects of democracy. Elections underlie the
goals of democracy as they allow citizens to have influence over who is in
office and how the government is run. Without the ability to vote, citizens
would not have choices or a say in what is important and accountability of
officials would not be ensured. A successful democracy requires elections and
therefore could not exist without them.
Unfortunately,
even though citizens know how important voting is to a successful democracy,
voter turn out in America is very low compared to other democracies. In the
United States, there are 222.5 million eligible voters, or citizens who are at
least 18 years old. Among the population of eligible voters, about 65% are
registered to vote, which narrows the population down to 146.5 million
citizens. To even further narrow the number of voters, about 65% of register
voters actually show up on election day to cast a ballot. Over the 20th
century, voter participation averaged only to about 50% in American
presidential elections. It is no surprise that several other countries, such as
Spain, France and Italy, have a much higher voter participation than this low
percentage. These numbers clearly show that American voter turn out is without
a doubt very low.
In
my opinion, the low voter turn out in our country is a problem. The main reason
I believe so is if there aren’t enough people showing up to vote, the outcome
of an election will not actually reflect the general population’s interests and
needs. The main goal of American government is to represent and serve the
people, but this cannot be accomplished if the people do not have a fair
influence over who is in office. The only way to ensure that the most
accountable candidate is chosen for office is if well educated and well
informed citizens take the time to vote. If such citizens choose not to show up
on election day, there is no way to ensure that the voice of the most informed
voters will be heard. I also believe that a current low voter turn out will
only lead to an even lower turn out in the future, so I think something needs
to be done now to fix this problem before it gets even worse.
Although
there are many possible ways to fix the low voter turn out in America, not all
are reasonable. I think one reasonable way to improve American participation in
elections is to make registration easier. As I noted earlier, about 65% of
eligible voters are actually registered to vote. The only way to increase this
number is to make registration easier. In America, states set registration
laws, so there are 50 different sets of laws for voter registration. I believe
that if there was one set of laws, registration would be perceived by citizens
as much easier and more reasonable. This reform would make voter registration
more uniform and would ensure that a citizen does not need to re-register if
he/she chooses to move to a new state. A reform to make voter registration
easier by making one uniform set of registration laws for the whole country
would definitely help fix voter turn out in America. If registration is less of
a hassle and more permanent, more citizens will register to vote, therefore
increasing voter turn out in America. The only way to ensure a successful
democracy is to increase the number of Americans who vote, something that will
be achieved if voter registration is reformed.
I agree with you that although there are many ways to fix the low voter turnout problem in America, not all options are reasonable. In my blog post, I said that one of the ways you could fix the problem is by holding national elections on weekends. However, after reading your post, I realized that that solution is unreasonable and complicated, and would lead to problems of its own. I do think that making registration simpler for voters is probably the best way to go, and having only one set of laws for registration (instead of 50 different sets) is one way to make the registration process a lot easier. I also thought it was very interesting to look at all the numbers you provided. I was surprised to see that although there are 222.5 million people eligible to vote, only 65% are actually registered and only 65% of those actually vote. In order to ensure a healthy and successful democracy, this low voter turnout problem needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Anna and Allie. In my essay I also argued that making voter registration easier and quicker would solve our low voter turnout problem. I also like the numbers you provided. They really give you a sense of how bad the situation is.
ReplyDeleteThere are aspects of our electoral process that are antiquated and deter voter turn out. Early voting, and unilateral voter registration in all fifty states will make it easier for those that have been disenfranchised by the established system, to come out and vote. The poorest percentage of our nation has the hardest time getting out to the polls on election day because they: don't know where their polling place is, have not registered to vote, or are not able to get to the polls during the limited time span that they are open. These problems are simple obstacles that can be rectified with some ease.
ReplyDeleteI really like the statistics you provided in the blog, which help explain the poor voting turnout in America in terms of percentages. I was shocked by the amazingly low turnout when I first learned about this because I always picture America as a nation of democracy with people all enthusiastic about political participation and voting. But it turned out the opposite. Lowering registeration reqirements is definely the way to go because the large voting turnout decline in history was associated with the voter registeration.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I believe the registration requirement is the largest barrier prevent people from willing to vote. The different laws of different states make this situation even worse. New improvement and unifying of the laws can certainly make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteYour opinions on facilitating registration are really spot on. The fact that you mention some of the specific ways that it would benefit and improve the turnout in the U.S. For example, you say that if someone moves, he won't need to re-register, which is such a great point as moving around is such a common part of our lives. Also, you bring up the psychological aspect and show how an easier law would automatically make it seem as though the process is easier.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that though there are many thoughtful and ideal ways to fix our complex voting system they are in fact not too reasonable. The core problem is the registration though and if there is anyway to minimize difficulty in this area, that would be a great improvement.
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