Being able to cast my first vote in the 21st century is a privilege. My generation needs to accept their patriotic responsibility and vote because many reforms are needed in order to carry us into the new millennium. Voting reforms are necessary to inspire political participation for other modifications and adjustments needed in areas such as health care, education, and Social Security, all which we as young people will face in the future. Participation in elections is necessary to facilitate and enable progress, but our present day system of voting is expiring by frustrated Americans.
We have laws for a reason, and when laws are broken there are consequences. One of those consequences is losing the right to vote. In most states, convicted felons will lose the right to vote for a certain period of time, but in others the
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
Living in a nation based on democracy, where a citizen’s voice is the equivalent of casting a vote in political elections, the majority of American citizens eligible to vote do not participate in elections. The rationale behind voter non-participation varies among individuals and demographic groups; however, they all share a connection regarding their feelings towards their treatment by the country's political system. Minority voters such as blacks and hispanics are a demographic group highly faced with disenfranchisement in regards to political elections due to oppression. North Carolina’s Voter ID laws are a prime example of how minority voters are being shut out.
In the United State there are 5.6 million people serving their time behind bars with many of their rights stripped away. Among these rights is the right to vote. Is this a right that the states can remove? This fact brings to light three main questions. First, do American inmates have the right to vote under American laws or the Constitution? Second, how would allowing inmates to vote change the face of elections? Finally, should inmates have the right to vote based on ethical premises? Today, we will attempt to answer these questions.
During his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Barack Obama observed that there was not a red America or a blue America, but a United States of America. Such sentiment implied that every citizen, hailing from all fifty states, shares a common set of principles and rights that distinctly marks him or her as a member of this nation. Although unmentioned during that landmark speech, one may assume that universal suffrage is one such right that all Americans share, binding our diverse nation together. However, although voter intimidation and violence is much less prevalent within America as it was in the past, disenfranchisement remains a reality as a result of partisan manipulation of election-administration laws. As
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 first freedom many Americans take for granted is their freedom Suffrage is most important right granted to an American citizen, but the road to provide suffrage for all Americans was a lengthy one. Early in America’s history, only property-owning white men could vote. After the Civil War, the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited “the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (Cornell). Only in the last century did the Nineteenth Amendment give women the right to vote. Now, all American citizens can express their opinion on matters of the state and nation. Take the most recent presidential election for example. The Democrats and Republicans are the two main parties, Clinton representing the Democrats and Trump representing the Republicans. On November 8, Americans voted, and Donald Trump will become the next U.S. President. But recall the 2012 election, where “only fifty-three percent of eligible voters actually casted ballots—that is 129 million people out of a potential 241 million citizens taking place in the election” (PBS). These statistics show that more than half of the American population did not care about their future or the future of the next generation. Ironically, many citizens who do not vote become the same citizens who complain about the state of their nation. These Americans do not fulfill their responsibility to choose leaders who will ensure that the same freedoms they experience today will be the same freedoms their great grandchildren will have years later. Americans must utilize this right to vote to preserve the freedoms they
Ever since the first presidential election in 1789, the process of voting has transformed immensely; poll tax has been eliminated, and African American men and then women gained suffrage. Dependent on such changes, every American man and woman can vote, now including current college students, so the University of Texas at Austin presented a series of lectures to integrate current students to the process and significance of voting. Three speakers—Mark Updegrove, Bethany Albertson, and Michael B. Stoff—argued their perception of this year’s election—the scarcity of young voters, political anxiety, and the theory of a critical election—which each presenting a problem for the future of the status quo. Furthermore, these problems constitute the
Every time I prepare to speak, I think about President Obama’s words and how they encouraged me to go deeper with my activism. In his A More Perfect Union (2008) speech, President Obama once said that “what would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk – to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time” (Obama 1). By using my platform, I have had heightened awareness about this issue and connected with my peers. They now know how crucial voter registration is due in part to our conversations; they now know that they can become a part of the political process—they can have a say in the "adult-dominated" political arena. In turn, they know that their vote does count and their voices do
Then again, regardless of vote based system's focal points there are a few detriments as well. In a law based country, the subjects hold the privilege to choose their agents and their representing experts. As per a typical perception, not every one of the residents are completely mindful of the political situation in their nation or the issues their country faces. This may bring about individuals settling on the wrong decisions amid race. Unfortunately, in a few nations, individuals don't practice their entitlement to vote. Many are hesitant to vote or less mindful about the effect their votes can have. They don't consider it as their benefit, and consider the way toward voting less important. Delegates may not really be chosen on legitimacy.
“Vote?” “Why would I waste my time on such a pointless task?” This is often said by many young voters. Young people are not convinced that politics affects them. Many just don’t care. Good habits don’t form overnight. Young people need to wake up and realize that your vote really does matter. It is your right to vote, many people don’t have that option. When someone votes, they voice their opinion. That single vote can make a difference, whether it is small or big, a vote is a vote. Young people are not the only ones at blame here, politicians don’t know how to attract the younger generation to appeal them.
The right to vote represents freedom and life. Voting is a significant right because people are voting to give people the right to make life changing decisions over their lives. There was a time when everybody didn’t have the right to vote. The history of voting caused a lot of inequality between gender and races. Voting laws has been changed to support equality between races and also allowed citizens to use utilize their voting power. Most of the voting laws are still relevant in america today. Voting is a right available to everyone, but some American citizens don’t utilize it. Consequently, most voters lost confidence in the government to keep integrity during election time.
Democracy is a term that is common to all Canadians and many other global citizens around the world. However, the right and freedom to vote in a government in which the general public chooses is a concept that many people do not take full advantage of. One of the largest groups of citizens who tend to not be politically involved are Canada’s youth and young adults. Many ask why it is this certain group that decides to distance themselves from the polling stations during election times. Could it be the disinterest in voting? Could it be the participation in other non-electoral outlets, such as protest groups? One of the main reasons that has been discussed, whether it be in political science classrooms or sitting around the dinner table,
Imagine getting arrested for violating traffic laws because you did not pay your parking tickets. You serve your sentence of four weeks and you're released, no big deal. But then November rolls around, it's time to elect a new president and the poll workers inform you that you can't participate