2012 Election ~ Low Voter Turn out Part 1

     Samuel Adams once said, “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual – or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” American people have the right to decide who will represent them and how they want to be represented. Americans have one of the greatest rights any free people can have; the right to vote. Americans have the great privilege to live in a free society and voting is the right that makes them free. America’s troops have fought wars so that others may be free. America has survived liberation movements, such as in 1870 when blacks gained the right to vote and in 1920 when women gained the vote. America is the standard for democracies all around the world. So, how disheartening it is when 40% of its own population doesn’t vote. They do not exercise their right to be heard in their own government. Americans have taken for granted too much the right to vote. This article will examine the reasons why people don’t vote, what effects this has on democracy, and what steps can be taken to remedy this problem.

     To begin, one must identify why people do not vote in elections. One cause of low voter turnout is the difficult and confusing registration process. Voter registration places the burden on the voter. More than one third of the problems reported to Election Protection in 2008 were a result of our antiquated voter registration system. Often voters are unaware that if they change addresses they must re-register. Many voters do not know this is required or forget to re-register. The results of the 2010 census showed this example to be true. Under their reasons for not registering; 47% reported that they were not interested in the election or were not involved in politics, 17% reported that they did not meet the registration deadlines, 6% said they could not because of permanent illness or disability, 5% gave the excuse of not knowing where or how to register, 4% indicated their vote would not count, and finally 4% reported they did not meet residency requirements.

     Furthermore, Election Day itself contributes to low voter turnout. Elections are held on Tuesdays, when most people work. Companies can disenfranchise people by simply not giving them time off to get to the polling station. In virtually every other country, Election Day is a national holiday, and voter participation rates are higher. By increasing access to the polls, it will encourage participation in democracy. This is a simple goal that should be easy to get through Congress. It requires only one small change: adding Election Day to the list of federal holidays in section 6103 of Title 5 of the U.S. Code. It can be passed in time for our next election in November 2012. While the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is a November holiday, Election Day isn’t. The California Voter Foundation (CVF) has released the results of a statewide survey on the attitudes of infrequent voters and citizens eligible to vote but not registered. The survey found that 28% of infrequent voters and 23% of those unregistered said they do not vote or do not register to vote because they are too busy.

     Additionally, a disgust of politics in general has the biggest effect on low voter turnout. In 1960, 60% of the nation’s television households had their sets on and tuned to the October presidential debates. In 2000, fewer than 30% were tuned in. However, Americans have come to dislike nearly everything about modern campaigns. The new style has brought out aspects of politics that were once largely out of sight. Ambition, manipulation, and deception have become as prominent as issues of policy and leadership. Elections are supposed to energize the electorate. They are not supposed to ruin one’s appetite, but that’s the best way to understand much of what Americans now see during a campaign and why they don’t have much taste for it. A poll asking the top three reasons why people don’t vote for candidates deduced this; the candidates do not clearly explain why they should represent their constituents in office, they have a lack of openness and candor, and they do not understand the needs of the people in their district. The numbers of voters show the effect of this story. The 2010 census provided new numbers on how many people voted in the 2008 election. The census questions determined; 45.5% of people voted, 38.5% did not vote, and 16% chose not to answer the question.

     American’s are either insulted by the way politics are conducted in this country or are completely oblivious. Why does this all matter to begin with. So what if 40% of the nation doesn’t vote, it seems to be working out alright now? Well, there are some serious issues that arise when almost half of the United States doesn’t vote, issues that threaten the very heart of America’s purpose itself. These effects and a plan of action to solve for the problem will be explored in the next part of this report. Until next week, keep this quote, by William E. Simon, in mind, “Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote.”