On November 3rd, 2015, I woke up excited for a day of engagement. I had a good breakfast, and headed out the door eager to start the day. I was about to go and vote. When I arrived at the poll at about nine in the morning, they had already been open for about two hours. Yet, I was just the second person to come out and vote. People all across the country came out to vote; however, a large majority of Americans stayed home. Why is it that on this day of democracy—a thing many people throughout history have never experienced—Americans are oblivious to and willing to give up what power they do have? In Texas alone, only about eight percent turned out vote. Amongst youth, this number is even lower. Now, sure, one could look at the fact that there …show more content…
Not only do we control who will govern, or how our tax dollars are spent, but we decide the entire future of our society. Before, monarch’s ruled over the people and controlled the direction of a country. Today, we have the power to control our own direction. However, so few American’s do so. Why is it that so many Americans aren’t encouraged to vote when so much has been done to give us the right? Our founding father’s declared independence and fought the revolution. Women such as Susan B. Anthony fought through Women’s Suffrage and men such as Martin Luther King marched for Civil Rights. These people struggled and bled for their rights to vote and be involved in our political system. Yet, today people are more likely to ignore elections, and voter turnout has been abysmal. It’s as if to many, it doesn’t matter to them. I remember taking a U.S. Government class just a couple semesters ago where politics was frequently mentioned. In the class, many students were angered about ongoing issues such as police brutality and economic disparity. Though, a week later when voter turnout was an issue one lady said, “My life is fine, it just won’t change much.” I was confused, and I responded, “But just last week you were complaining about police brutality.” She had no response. It has come to a point where many people simply feel their vote does not
In some countries there are legal repercussions for not voting, such as Australia. In ancient Grease, all citizens were required to vote at election time under penalty of imprisonment. This may not be the best course of action for America, were people might see it as imposing on there freedom of choice. There are other less dramatic options that can be considered.
Americans are fortunate enough to have the right to vote, so we should take opportunity to be heard. “...many Americans do not vote” (Doc BE). Some Americans do not take the chance to vote. For example, “Since World War II, no presidential election has ever involved 65% or more of registered voters!” (Doc BE). Voting is important because, “People express their consent or disapproval in many different ways” (Doc BE).
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
America is a free country, and voting is an important part of that freedom. Unlike other countries where dictators and monarchs make decisions on behalf of the people, Americans get the right to decide who runs the country and what laws should govern the citizens. But even though voting is an important privilege, most Americans don 't vote.
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
Lastly, another reason people do not vote is simple; they are not educated. They don’t understand how the government system works. TCHI tells that “Texans were not aware about even voting” (Texas 21). Most Texans are not informed about what the politicians are offering either. This will result in an overwhelming feeling for whom they will be voting. This is why it is essential being informed and educated about
America is a free country, and voting is an important part of that freedom. Unlike other countries where dictators and monarchs make decisions on behalf of the people, Americans get the right to decide who runs the country and what laws should govern citizens. But even though voting is an important privilege, most Americans simply don't vote, and some of their reasons may surprise you. Here are seven common reasons most Americans don't vote.
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
The voting rate in America has been very low the past few elections. There are many reasons people feel that people aren’t going to the polls to vote. For example so people believe that its because the people running for positions of power aren’t the the best so nobody votes. Other people believe that its or right as Americans to go to the polls on election day. Forcing People to go vote on election day is not democratic because we are given the freedom to do what we want.
efficacy found that young adults perceive that their vote has little meaning or impact on the
Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.
Nearly forty percent of people will not vote for president. If people had to vote, this number could rise. According to www.electproject.org, voter turnout has hovered at around sixty percent for decades. With voting being such an important thing, you’d expect this number to be higher, and it should be.
I believe that many people in Texas do not care to vote because of apathy and the majority see a system that is corrupt, full of lies and
In a democracy, those who DON'T vote can affect the outcomes of elections. Voter turnout in American national elections is about 53%. Why do we have such a relatively low voter turnout? Describe and explain THREE factors that lead to low
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