The Pros And Cons Of Voting Initiatives

A major weakness of the referendum process it that that if the proposal is to complex or there is a number of proposals to be consider, voters are likely to struggle to understand the issue or be engage in the debate as it is too complex for them. It would create many people to be confused and therefore elect to vote No so that the constitution wouldn’t be changed as they are afraid what would happen in the future if there vote YES. On the other hand, a major strength of the process of referral

From the early 1840s to the present day, a democracy can be described as a flawed establishment which has been shaped by the power of wealth and control, complex social relations, and most importantly the people’s desire to live a fulfilling life. Throughout this time period the principles of democracy, such as equality, protection of the people’s interest, and promotion of human rights were shifting in order to increase the democracy efficiency. Therefore the continued importance of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and Constitution remain significant since, in American today, democracy is a system that is continuously being shaped by the people within it.

In recent years, society has noticed increasingly minute numbers of voters. Regardless of what is causing people to stay home, it is a big issue. Voting is a right, every citizen is entitled to having a voice in the government. We can choose to vote or we can choose to abstain. This is not an issue, until voting numbers are so low it is hard to even call elections. To help fix this, countries have implemented a system called "Compulsory Voting", or more blatantly put as "Mandatory Voting". This system would require all citizens (capable) to vote. On paper, this seems like a good idea. However, it is a removal of right. To have a right is to have an option. We as citizens have the right to almost anything we want. The Constitution gives us options. You wouldn't say we have the right to pay taxes. We are required to pay taxes. Obligations are not considered rights. Making the right to vote mandatory would be removing one keyword. RIGHT.

One example of registration laws that effect voter participation includes the House Bill 1355. In 2011 Florida voted on House Bill 1355 placing new regulations on community organization that have helped eligible voters to register (Herron, Smith 2013). Seeing as Florida is a swing state and every four years during presidential elections the state and its residents can determine who will be the next president of the United States, it’s important for communities and organizations to mobilize the people to go out and vote. Although a federal judge in 2012 later blocked the legislation that was making it difficult for third party registration organizations the damage was already done. For a prominent voting organization opted out of doing registration drives when the House Bill 1355 was initially passed (Herron, Smith). The implementation of the Bill influenced the upcoming presidential election in 2012 by slowing the voter registration of thousands of Floridians. Bills like the 2011 House Bill 1355 only raises the cost in the rational choice model making it only more probable that people will just opt out of voting because they don’t want to deal with the time-consuming process. When registering to vote one must adhere to the states laws and comply with the process of registration. Because each state has their own legislation and laws that their residents must follow, it crucial for people to get some information on the state registration process in order to vote.

Voting is the chance to contribute to the political process, and the framework was made to work best when everybody partakes. Along these lines, utilizing your entitlement to vote is not only an expansion to the voter turnout insights distributed by each significant media site (which reliably demonstrate seniors as having the most astounding voter turnout - time for the young to lift it up). Your vote really matters and the country needs and needs to hear your feeling. We live in a vote based system (a term utilized delicately as a part of our general public). A democracy is a system of government in which the entirety of the population participates. So, participate all the time.

The Progressives gave voters the power of direct democracy through initiatives, referendums and recalls. Initiatives are citizen made proposals and amendments that can be put on ballots during elections; they are the most frequently used out of the

In the past, referendums have been used to make some of the biggest constitutional changes in modern times. By definition, a referendum ‘is a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision’. The very name and use of 'referendums' is thought to have originated in the Swiss canton of Graubünden as early as the 16th century where, to this day, still use a form direct democracy to settle many issues. Traditionally, Referendums were rarely used in the UK but, in recent times, they have been gaining popularity by the public and have also been used more often to decide constitutional changes such as the 2016 EU Referendum and the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum. Since the end

For the longest time jury duty and other similar institutions have been mandatory, however, voting is not required by the United States federal government. This raises another question. Is forcing people to vote constitutional at all? Could such a law exist in an individualistic and liberal country? The power to choose is what separates the United States from many other countries. The average citizen gets to decide how they live their lives. These values are found in the very principles created by the founding fathers. Voting is not something that should be forced. Also, there are times when voting isn’t as easy as one might think. There are many factors that could prevent a person from voting such as illness, their economic situation, or their level of education. All of these factors could lead to an absence of voting. What people and those who want to instate mandatory voting need to understand is that they have the power to decide who the next president will be. They shouldn't become upset when the person they favored the least becomes president. They could have done something about it but instead chose to do nothing.

Elections happen all over the world in various countries on different scales. Some elections can be for the president of a country while others can be for city council members. With all elections come a voter turnout. Voter turnout can be measured in a number of ways. According to Fairvote, some ways to measure are by percentages of either the amount of eligible voters, registered voters, or by the total population that is old enough to vote in that designated area (Measuring Voter Turnout). The U.S. and Texas both have low voter turnouts compared to others and struggle to increase them.

With the presidential election going on today I am baffled at how many of my friends care so little about it. I was always taught in my family to vote in every election because my vote mattered. I asked my roommate if she had voted and she answered back with “well no I don’t really know who to vote for and my vote wouldn’t matter anyways, so I’m just not going to do it…” I was baffled at how little she cared and how she didn’t want to try to understand more about the people running in order for her to make an educated decision and vote. If we as citizens of the US all thought this way and no one cared enough to try to understand what is going on around us in our government then this could be dangerous. In a study conducted it shows just how

Do you find it aggravating when men and women complain about the president? In the United States of America, nearly one hundred and thirty-nine million Americans vote a year, according to the United States Election Project. More than eight million Americans won’t vote on Election day typically, because many Americans simply don’t think their vote would matter but that's not true. Every vote counts just as much as anybody else’s vote. If the United States passed a law that requires American citizens to vote then this would change the percentage of voting tremendously and make a big difference in this country. Today, I will be discussing the benefits of having mandatory voting in the United States and how it can help our country.

Historically in America, voting has been a relatively discriminatory practice. It has limited and deprived many individuals of many diverse races, ethnicities, and walks of life from casting their votes to select the individual who they feel is most educated, and skilled to represent their interests. Not only has this been proven to be wrong by discriminating minority groups in voting, it also has proved to be a process, which minimizes the largest growing demographics in the country. Furthermore, with millennials growing to become more politically active, minority groups are becoming more politically involved than ever. Taking this into account an important question that is raised by the author William Eskridge in his book “Legislation and Statutory Interpretation” is “Would minorities be better off with more representatives who had to pay attention to their interests because they are a powerful and organized constituency, rather than with a few representatives of minority districts who specialize in protecting only their interests?” (Eskridge,Frickley,& Garrett, 2006, pp.55).

Voting is very essential and one of the easiest methods to influence public policy. You just need to be registered, and go to a polling station. It is simple because the government encourages people to vote, to hear a broad range of opinions. It is a form of direct democracy because when you vote, it directly affects the side or issue you support. Your vote is one more supporting opinion for a candidate or issue that is counted. Some people may think that their vote won’t make a big difference, but if you look at it from another perspective it can impact smaller and local issues. Although voting is imperative because you are given this privilege at the age of 18, it is not the end of one’s ability to influence government, but rather the beginning.

Referendums are legal mechanisms for voters to repeal or accept a law passed by the state legislature. We live in America which is a Democracy. We should have a legislative referendum process used on the national level of government. If I have the right to vote for who I want as president, I should have the right to view and have a say on the laws they are establishing as well. Of course, regardless of what we do in the government a group of people will always be unhappy—that’s just a fact. But there is far too many issues that are up for discussion for the government alone to have all the answers for. Therefore, I think that if a law is passed through the three branches of government, then we the people should have a vote too. If we the people

An essential part of an "ideal" representative democracy is competitive elections that are fair both substantively[10] and procedurally.[11] Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press are considered to be essential rights that allow citizens to be adequately informed and able to vote according to their own interests.[12][13]