Duty To Vote

To force someone to vote even though they don’t want to, not only goes against their rights, it also goes against our basic beliefs as a nation. Even if you force someone to vote, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t make blank or null ballots to avoid the punishment that comes along with not voting. In Peru where there’s mandatory voting and an enforced penalty of $35, 13% of the votes are blank or null. (Document E) As said in Document G, telling someone to just vote, is not expressing civic virtue. You’re not more or less of a citizen if you

A group of people in upper class that decide what votes count and what votes do not, is not fair in any way. The people should be heard, citizens that deal with tax or money problems, and everyday struggles of life deserve every right they were promised from the beginning, including voting

As the next election is soon to approaching I have noticed that the presidential nominees are no more than a joke to the other people that have served this great country as the presidents of the united states.

November will be approaching soon and will be time to elect our next President. Bernie Sanders is a seventy-four-year-old male running for the Democratic party. Hillary Clinton is the wife of Ex-President Bill Clinton and also running for the Democratic party. Donald Trump is a businessman running for the Republican nomination to be the President of 2016. Ted Cruz is a senator from Texas and a candidate for the Republican nomination. Jill Stein is a physician and activist who is currently running for the Green Party nomination.

As stated in the previous paragraph, Hilary has support from elderly African American women. However, America might be able to see another Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Hilary Clinton because Hilary aims to provide benefits for “Our Girls” . Twenty-four-year-old Stephanie Arroyo admits that Hilary was “more in touch with the black and Puerto Rican communities, or any other low-income community ”than Obama. Furthermore, Sharyn O’Halloran, a political science professor at Columbia University, claims that Stephanie articulated the thoughts of many African American and Latino women . O’Halloran has noted that Hilary had an edge over Obama in matters that mattered the most to black women such as education, health care, and the economy .

The United States of America is supposed to be a land of freedom where one can exercise the right to have various liberties that are not found in many other countries around the world. Among these liberties is the right to vote in a democratic government. Voting is a privilege in the United States that should not be taken for granted; many countries do not have the luxury of choosing who they want to represent them in government. Or if they do, they have in place a system that is called compulsory voting. Compulsory voting is a system in which voters are obligated to come to their designated polling place on Election Day to place a vote. If

The right to vote has been established in many countries, with its foundation in the democracy of ancient Greece. The founders of the United States used the ideas of the Greeks and saw their democratic result as “an achievement that has come through determination, hard work, struggle, even bloodshed” (Text 4, Lines 1-2) as seen in the American Revolution. The American Revolution was fought over the fundamental ideas of democracy- the right of the citizens of that country to choose the people who speak for their voices in national government. Two hundred and forty years later, many U.S. citizens aren’t using their right to vote that was fought for them and that they believe that voting is like an opinion and “that not having an opinion is

Because voting is a right, making it mandatory would be an infringement on the citizens (Text 2 line 19). The right to vote also constitutes the right to not vote (Text 3 line 26) , both are equally important (Text 4 line 14). The right to vote is a choice as right as a citizen, that shouldn't be taken away. The argument is that we should be focused on finding quality in our votes, not quantity (Text 3 line 38). If citizens were to randomly vote only because its the law, many people will vote for whoever is first on the ballet (Text 2 lines 28-30) or vote for other reasons other than politics (Text 3 lines41-42). Also in other countries where voting is mandatory there is a higher number of blank or invalid votes (Text 2 lines 24-26). While some argue that if all citizens are forced to vote, the government would be more legitimate in representing the country's options, these factors clearly prove otherwise (Text 2 lines

“Nowhere in the constitution does it say “all individuals have the right to vote.””(Garrett Epps), so that means the constitution does not protect the right for all citizens to vote, but rather the right for all qualified citizens to vote. Eighteen states have voter-ID requirements which means if you meet those requirements then you have the privilege to vote. The same for when you become of age, eighteen. Some states have the law that “if you’re a felon then you are not allowed to vote.”( Jeff, Fleischer). If you’re not a felon, then you have the privilege to vote. All state requirements and laws show that voting is a privilege, not a right.

For the past 104 years, Belgium has been enforcing penalties and taking people’s rights if they don’t vote. It is called compulsory voting. Should Americans be required to vote? There are three reasons why voting should not be mandatory for Americans. One reason is because of how dangerous uneducated voters can be.

Potentially wasted ballots on small fringe parties with no chance of winning or in electoral districts with a strong partisan leaning.

My grandfather has always said if the people do not vote than it is unacceptable for them to complain about our government. Growing up with the belief of voting makes me willingly involved in politics and eager to fulfill my responsibility as an American citizen. However, my grandfather did not pass on any type of advice when coming to an election with two repulsive candidates. Our country is stuck between two unpleasant options and the only thing we can do is pick the less of the two evils.

The right to vote has been fought for many generations both past and present. The woman’s suffrage movement ,which began in 1848, not only give women the right to vote but allowed the struggles of woman be known. During the 1950’s and 1960’s many black activist fought for fair and equal voting rights.Today, all Americans, over the age of 18, have the right to do so. Although this may be true, is it our civic duty to vote? Moreover, should Americans be required to vote? According to text 3, line 1, Some believe that mandatory voting restricts democracy while others believe it expands it. In American history, there has been a period of time when a woman and/or people of color could not vote and consequently people fought for these rights. The

By voting tells candidates that they must back up what they promise to do to help make our nation a better place to live. It also allows issues addressed by citizens concerns on different issues in their state and communities. Going to the polls on the day to vote shows a good example for your children, friends, family, and neighbors.

Voting is an act of expression that holds the United States together as a whole. President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting." Our government may not infringe on the people's right to vote, however the people themselves may neglect those rights by not exercising their right to vote. Americans live with the protections and rights that are documented in our Constitution and amendments. Freedom in a democracy is what empowers citizens to voice their opinions. The right to vote that activists fought and died for has given every day citizens the power to directly impact an election and the laws that govern us. Voting should not be mandatory because, it would take-away the history behind activist fighting for the right to vote, and will further diminish voters choice to not exercise their voting right.