The Responsibility Of Voting In The United States

In “Race and Beyond: Why Young, Minority, and Low-Income Citizens Don’t Vote,” Sam Fulwood claims, “Regardless of whether a favored candidate won or popular ballot initiative passed, our nation suffered because of the number of people who didn’t vote at all” (par. 2). I agree with Sam Fulwood and I believe it is so unfortunate that Americans don’t use this right. Voting is one of the most valuable possessions that Americans are given and yet they do not use. Many of the countries around the world do not grant voting rights to their citizens. These countries either have a dictatorship or kingdom which prevents citizens from voting. People need to understand the sufferings of those people who struggled for this right. When the United States

A very controversial topic in the United States is whether or not Americans should be required to vote. Voting is a very essential piece to democracy, but many Americans today are not attending their voting location and supporting the candidate they feel is best. In recent elections, just 60% of registered voters casted their vote for a candidate. This is an issue that many people are not happy about, but whether or not there is reason to fix it is the other side to the case. Voter participation is an issue that has been going on for years, and no laws are in place currently to bring it up. Americans have been proud to live in a “free country”, and a law forcing citizens to vote may be against America’s principles. Compulsory voting should

More than half of all citizens in the world are currently able to vote, however, many of them choose not to, leading to an increase of enforced mandatory voting in many countries. This essay will consider the role of compulsory voting and whether legally required voting reduces freedom. Compulsory voting is often supported due to the fact it considerably raises turnout, Birch 2009 found that mandatory attendance at the polls increased turnout by between 6 and 20 percent . Legally required voting is also considered to be an effective instrument to motivate citizens to express their voice in public life, thereby ensuring that their concerns will be heard, and potentially acted upon . However, opponents of compulsory voting argue that it violates freedom and reduces the legitimacy of the elected representatives . The first part of this essay will consider why compulsory voting was adopted, following this, I will consider the different types of freedom that may or may not be compromised with compulsory voting and how legally required voting could increase or decrease freedom.

Since the United States of America established itself as its own self-governing country, one of the things that caused it to be salient and stand out from other countries is its relentless insistence on functioning as a democracy. Wars and protests have occurred so that every type of people, whether it was women or African Americans, may be granted the right to vote. Having a say in the American government is an honor and a privilege bestowed upon American citizens when they reach the age of eighteen. However, in recent years, statistics have shown that voter turnout and participation in recent elections has been rapidly and steadily declining, causing the United States to have the lowest voter participation in the world (“Is the System

As citizens of the United States, individuals have the ability to participate in their government. In various countries, political outcomes are more controlled and their citizens have little to no say in government decisions. In the U.S. however, as part of a representative democracy, citizens eighteen and older are granted the right to elect politicians to represent them. From local, to state and then on to the national level, voters may partake in elections. Although U.S. citizens have the right to vote, as displayed in the low voter turnout, many American voters do not exercise this right due to an array of reasons.

Voting has not always been as easy as it is today. It is interesting to examine how far America has progressed in its process of allowing different types of people to be able to vote. Voting was once aimed at a particular group of people, which were white males that owned their own property. Today, most people over the age of eighteen can vote, except for the mentally incompetent or people who have been convicted of major felonies in some states. The decline of voter participation has always been a debate in the public arena. According to McDonald and Popkin, it is “the most important, most familiar, most analyzed, and most conjectured trend in recent American political history (2001, 963)” The question is, how important is voter

In the United States, everything seems to be done better than anywhere else in the world. The USA has great sports and music, many different cultures, a high literacy rate. These are among the things that make America the greatest country in the world. However, Election Day and voter turnout isn’t very respectable. In fact, the USA came in at 138 out of 172 countries that hold public elections, per the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Many people in the US that don’t vote provide a majority of reasons for not voting, such as: too busy, not interested, or illness/injury, according to statisticbrain.com.

The number of people who vote yearly has been declining over the past few years. According to the voting trends starting from 2000 we’ve had less young adults vote since the Vietnam War. (This was due to political unrest and the younger generation protesting against war in Vietnam, saving countless soldiers lives). However, this does not mean that the voting ranges will be the same every election year, they are always fluctuating. For example, in 2008 we had great spike, many people came out to vote ranging from the ages 18-34 according to (https://www.census.gov) the percentage being 71 % ; mainly because of the economic crash and Barack Obama, was promising to pass bills that would benefit college students. The point I’m trying to express

I will assess whether the United States satisfies the democratic criteria of voting equality and enlightened understanding. For the criterion of voting equality to be met, members of a country must have equal and fair opportunity to vote, and all votes must be equal in weight (Dahl, 1989). To assess this criterion, I will look at American voter turnout rates, voting requirements, and restrictions. These indicators will show whether or not citizens truly have an equal and fair opportunity to vote. The fulfillment of enlightened understanding ensures that members have equal opportunities to learn about policies and what they entail (Dahl, 1989). In order to assess this criterion, I will

Since the creation of the United States of America, providing freedom and opportunity has shown to be the most essential factor that makes the country a desirable place to call home. However, certain rights have not been preserved for every citizen in society. In the aftermath of the recent presidential election, the citizens of this country are beginning to realize the importance of voicing their opinion and exercising the right to vote. Unfortunately, this country has yet to fully provide equal opportunity for the people it vowed to protect, especially when it comes to voting. Voting rights are still clearly under attack in our country and intentionally impact those who are of color and/or who are disadvantaged as well as women and those with disabilities.

Time and time again I hear people go on about the citizen's duty to vote. If you don't vote, that

In a democracy, voting is how the people choose. You can vote by a raise of hands, placing a ballot in a box, or even walking to one side of the room or another. For America’s Presidential Election, the country votes for one of the candidates. The candidates will have debates, rallies, and preliminary voting. By November, there are two to three running for President. Every person eighteen years or older, may place one vote. Whichever candidate has the most votes becomes the President for the next four years.

No matter who you are or what your age is, everyone has at least one responsibility. It could be a small responsibility for a five year old kid, like cleaning their room. Or it could be a big responsibility for a thirty five year old, like paying their rent. The abundance of responsibilities varies between ages. Whatever your responsibility is, you have to always uphold it.

Participating by voting in elections is a civil right we are given as Democratic Americans. While some people are eager to go out and vote, there are others who despise the system and neglect their duties as citizens and avoid voting in elections all together. Other nations around the globe have instituted a new system of Compulsory Voting; in which citizens are required by law to vote in elections or attend a polling place on a designated day. There are many pros and cons when it comes to compulsory voting, as well as a wide variety of controversy associated with it. Compulsory voting has resulted in many benefits to foreign nations, however, this new system is not perfect and still comes with new problems that nations face and are working to overcome; the general public believes compulsory voting to be a good idea yet still inefficient due to the laziness and lack of regard from some of the practicing nation’s citizens.

Is a presidential candidate’s education as important a consideration when deciding who to vote for or are there other factors? A voter should not vote off of one factor. It is an enormous responsibility to vote, and it is very important that a voter considers every aspect.