The title of your publicationVoting Essay

Votingforsomethingorforsomeoneinabigorsmallrangecannotonlyaffectyoubut,alsootherin ahugescale,eventhewholecountryorworld.Althoughpeopletakeitforgranted,votingisa system,whosecertainleadersanddecisionsanddecidedbasedonthepopulationchoiceHowever insomecasesthisdoesn'tapplysuchasintheelectoralcollege,andthereforenotvotingormaking thewrongchoicewithintheimprecisepopularvotesandelectoralvoteratio,itcanactuallymakea bigdifferenceinmanyaspects.Sonotasinglesystemisperfectwithavotingcandidatedecision system,itwillsometimes,orevenalwaysfail.Thereforevotingnotonlyinvolvesthedragging numberstoapointwhereacandidatecanwinevenifmostpopulationhasn'tvotedorisagainstit, butalsotheselfdecisiononwhichhowthosenumberswoulddrag,towardswhomandtheaftermath ofyoursinglevote,especiallyintheUSAvotingsystemtheelectoralcollege.

TheElectoralCollegeisthecurrentvotingsystemoftheUSAtochoosethepresidentandthevice president.Howeverthewinnerisnotdecidedbythepopularvote,buttheelectoralvote,whichare thestaterepresentatives,100senators,twoperstateand435representativesandthreeelectors, makingabout538ofthevotes,sotherefore,thepopularvotesthenturnintoelectoralvotes. Howeverwiththissystem,thenumbersaren'trelayderivedintermsofthepopularvote,althoughif astatedoesn'tgivetoa

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Inone'sdemocraticsociety,votingis,perhaps,themostmajorformofcommunicationintelling howtheyfeelaboutparticularissuesandviewpoints.Becauseofaballot'spotentialpowertochange thecourseofpublicpolicy,itisimportanttomakeinformedchoicestomakethebestoutcomein ultimatedecisions,lestacare–freechoicecouldyieldunintendedconsequences.Withcandidatesin mind,perhapsoneofthebestsourcestoexaminetheirgoalsistheircampaignwebsite,astheytend tolistinitiativesthattheywishtoachieveandaplanonhowtodoso.Sinceacandidate'swebsiteis unlikelygoingtohavebiasedopinions(otherthanwhatthecandidatebelieves),voterscangeta clearunderstandingoftheiroverallidealsAsecondchoiceisfromanaccreditedmediasourceThe mediacangiveperspectiveandshinelightuponlesserknownfactsofacandidate,withsomeofthis informationbeingsomethingacandidatedoesn'twishforthepublictoknow.Ofcourse,news sourcessuchasFoxNewsandMSNBCtendtohavemorenotableidealogicalleaningsthanothers, butneverthelesstrytoexposeinformationofopposingcandidates,allowingthepublictoformulate anoverallopinionInmorebroaderterms,radioandtelevisionhavealsoallowedforbetteraccessof debates;thepublic,inturn,gettingtostringinformationtogether.

TheImportanceofVotingWiththeLongLines,thestressfulwaiting,andtheconstantquestionof askingyourself"whyamIhere?"ongoinginyourheadmakesthewaitingtovotethemostexciting thingever.Butwaitasideofthat,thinkforasecond.Thisyeartherewerepeoplegoingtovoteeven whenhurricanesandyhitpartsoftheirneighborhood,destroyedtheirhousesorfloodedseveral waysforthemtogettotheirvotingstation,buttheystillvotedThey'reispeoplewhowenttothose votingpollsandspentlonghoursputtingwhateversituationtheywereinasideandwenttovote. TheydidsoTofulfilltheirdutyasacitizen,tomaketheirvoiceheardandtheirvotecount.Thisis whyIthinkwhateverthecasemaybeshowmorecontent

Well,thisisAmerica'slanguage.ThisforAmericans;isourvoicetakenintomatterintothe decisionsthataremadeinourcountry.Wemakethedifferencebygettingoutthereandmakingsure theyheardourvoicethisistheAmericanslanguageinPolitics,andweshouldallspeakitandspeak upforthewell–beingofourcommunityandgreatnationoftheUnitedStatesof

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Withoutadoubtvotingrightshavegrownsincetheirfirstimplicationsinthebeginningofthis democracy.Inthebeginningtheonlypersonwhowereabletovoteandbepartofthegovernment werewhiteprotestantmale.However,thatwouldofcoursechangeaftertheVotingRightsActthat wassignedintoorderbyPresidentLyndonJohnsonthatwouldremovediscriminatingfactorsused onAfricanAmericansduetothefactthatitwasunconstitutionalunderthefirth–teenamendment Someofthediscriminatingfactorsthatwereusedwerelawspassedonbythejimcrowlawsthat includedliteracytest,ortrickquestionsthathadtobeansweredaswellaspolltaxesallwhichkept thelowerclassandminoritiesfromhavingavoteinwhattheybelieveinHowever,minoritieswere nottheonlyonesleftoutsideofthevotingprecinctswomenwouldalsonothavetherighttovote untilthewomen'ssuffragemovementthatwouldleadintothe19Amendmentwhichgave everybodyarighttovoteregardlessofgender.Although,thiswasamerely90yearsagointhe 1920'swhichisaconsiderablesmallamountoftimeconsideringourformofgovernmentisn'tthat oldEvenwithalltheseratificationsofformingnewlawstomakeeverythingequalregardlessof raceandgendertherearestillaproblemwithvotingintoday'sagealthoughtheproblemsrelymore onthetechnologybeingused,theaccessintothepolls,aswellasavarietyofchoiceinnominees Therehasbeenvariousproblemswith

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VotingRights

Therighttovoterepresentsfreedomandlife.Votingisasignificantrightbecausepeoplearevoting togivepeopletherighttomakelifechangingdecisionsovertheirlives.Therewasatimewhen everybodydidn'thavetherighttovote.Thehistoryofvotingcausedalotofinequalitybetween genderandraces.Votinglawshasbeenchangedtosupportequalitybetweenracesandalsoallowed citizenstouseutilizetheirvotingpowerMostofthevotinglawsarestillrelevantinamericatoday Votingisarightavailabletoeveryone,butsomeAmericancitizensdon'tutilizeit.Consequently, mostvoterslostconfidenceinthegovernmenttokeepintegrityduringelectiontime. WhenAmericawasfoundedin1776,theonlycitizenswhohadarighttovotewerewhitemalesIn 1787,federalvotingstandardsweren'tsetnationwidetheyvariedfromstatetostate.In1830, numerousstatesremovedpropertyownershipandreligionasstipulationforvoting.In1868,the14th amendmentpassedallowingblackstoberecognizedascitizensandallowingblackmentovotebut notwithoutprejudicefromstateofficials.Slaveshadnovotingrightswhentheywerefirstbrought toAmericaInawebarticleTheodoreRJohnsonstates,"UndertheconstitutionanAfrican Americanslavewasoriginallycountedasthree–fifthsofapersonforthepurposeofdetermininga state'selectoralvotecountandHouserepresentation".Thatboostedthepowerofslavesstatesinthe federal ...Getmorecontent...

Votingallowsthevoicesofthepeopletobeheard.However,thishasnotalwaysbeenaprivilege foreveryone.Votingfirsthappenedaround1776.Whentherighttovotewasfirstgiventothe people,onlywhitelandownerswereallowedtovote.By1788slaveswerecountedas⅗ofaperson. TheDredScottv.Stanfordcourtcaseruledthatslavesarepropertyandhavenorights."Ablack manhasnorightsawhitemanisboundtorespect"Thisrulingincreasedtensionsleadingintothe civilwar.ThisdeprivedAfricanAmericansevenmoretotherighttocitizenship.The15th amendmentwasratifiedin1870,whichgrantedblackmalestherighttovote.Whenthe19th amendmentwasratifiedin1920,allcitizenswereallowedtovoteregardlessshowmorecontent Votingissupposedtoalloweveryonetheopportunitytovoicetheiropinion,butwiththesenew laws,suchaspresentingaphotoID,everyoneisnotgettingasayso,sothevotesaren'taccurate. ThenewlawofhavingaphotoIDtovotealsoaffectstransgenders.Manypeoplewhohave transitionedthemselveshaven'tupdatedtheirIDandhaveapicturewiththeiroriginalsex.Those whotransitionedhavenodocumentsorrecordswiththeircurrentgenderlistedThisnewlawmakes itharderforthembecausetheirinformationisn'tupdated,andbecauseofthistheyaren'tallowedto vote.Thisalsomakesthevotesinaccuratebecausethereareabout25,000transgenderswhoaren't gettingtheirsayso.

Thegovernmentistryingtocutearlyvoting,whichplaysapartinvotersuppression.Earlyvoting allowsthosewithdisabilitiesandthosewhohavejobsgettheirvotesinwhiletheyhavetimeand beforethelinesgettocrazy.Cuttingearlyvotingleadstolongerlines,whichmaycausefewer peopletovote.Manypeopleleaveinfrustrationduetohowlongthelinesmaybe.Since2011 variousstateshavecutbackonvotingduetopoliticiansleadingtheseattemptsforsupportivegain In2012Floridacutvotingdownfrom14daystoeight.In2013NorthCarolinacutvotingdown from17daysto10.Basedonstaticsbetweentheyearsof2008and2012around70%ofblackstook advantageofvotingearly.In

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VotingAndVotingBehavior

Introduction

Throughouttheworld,scholarsofpoliticalsciencehavetriedtointroducedifferentapproacheson howtoanalysevotingindemocraticstates.Thishelpsnotjusttoanalyseelectionresults,butalsoto predictfuturemovesofthekeyagentsinelectionsThisincludespoliticalparties,politicians, interestgroupsandvoters.Differentmodelsreachefromsociologicaltopsychologicalaswellas fromeconomicaltocandidate–focusedapproaches(HagueandHarrop2013).Hencethereisa generalargumentofwhichtheoryismostsophisticatedandenablesusmosttounderstandvoting behaviours.

ThisessayseekstoexploretowhatextendtheDownsmodelofvotinghelpsustounderstand,in whichwayspoliticalpartiesalignthemselvesingeneralelections.Politicalpartiesshallbeseenas´a teamofpeopleseekingtocontrolthegoverningapparatusbygainingvotesinadulyconstituted election´(Down1957,p.25).Generalelectionsshallbedefinedandrestrictedtodemocratic electionsandthestatelevel,whichareheldwithinperiodicintervalstodetermineitsgovernment. Duetothelimitationsofthisessay,thisshallberestrictedtoatwo–partysystemandillustratedby certainexamplesduringboththe2008and2012PresidentialelectionoftheUnitedStatesof America

TheDownsmodelofvoting,introducedinAnEconomicTheoryofDemocracy(1957)byAnthony Dows,developstwomainhypothesesthat(1)`partiesacttomaximisevotes`(Downs1957,p

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Introduction

Internetvotingisarelativelynewconceptthatenteredthecirculationofdebatesanddiscussion aboutimplementation,asthemillenniumapproached.Thepracticeofinternetvotinghasbeen implementedincertaincountriesandjurisdictions,inhopeofcreatingmodernvotingsystemthat willreachawiderrangeofvotersOnlinevotingisperceivedtoappealtotheyouthvoteandallow individualswithmobilitybarrierstocasttheirballotmoreindependently.However,manyofthese perceivedbenefitsarenotprovenandanarrayofcounterevidencehasbeenpresentedinstudiesof theregionswhopracticeinternetvotingDespitetheperceivedadvantageousofInternetvoting,the associatedrisksandissuesin...showmorecontent...

However,asmentionedintheintroduction,notalloftheseperceivedbenefitshavebeenevidently proven.Moreover,internetvotingcreatesotherissues,regardingsecurityandlackofaccessibilityto certaingroups.

TheRelationshipBetweenInternetVotingandVoterTurnout

Firstofall,thereislittletonoevidencethatinternetvotingincreasesvoterturnout.Inthepastfew decades,therehasbeenadownwardtrendintheturnoutofyouthvoters.Intheemergence,of Internetvoting,expertstheorizedthatthisnewtypeofvotingwouldappealtomillennialvoter'sdue totheirperceivedfamiliaritywiththeinternet.However,throughtheIndependentPanelonInternet Voting(BC),nosubstantialevidencecanbeusedtosupporttheargumenttheInternetVotingwill increasevoterturnout.

ThelackofevidencetheInternetvotingdoesnotincreasevoterturnoutisnotreliantonalackof research,butanarrayofresearchthatrevealsthatitdoesnothaveasignificantimpactInastudyof theuseofinternetvotinginthetwoSwissCantonsofZurichandGeneva,researchersfoundthat therewasnocorrelationbetweenOnlinevotingandvoterturnout.Intheelectionunderstudy,voters weregiventheoptiontovoteonline,visitapollingstationorusetheSwisspostalsystemtocast theirballot.However,despitethepresenceoftheinternetoptiontherewasnospecialalluretothat specificoptionMoreover,the

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Manypeoplekeepcomplainingabouthowthegovernmentisacompletefailure,butifyoudoyour partandvote,youcanmakeachangeinthegovernmentsystem.Votingisyouropiniononpaper thatcouldmakeachangeinAmericaonhowaleaderrunsthiscountry.

Americansshouldhavetheabilitytovoteandvoicetheiropinionbutalotofusdonottake advantageoffreedomofspeechItisourresponsibilityascitizenstoelectofficialsthatwefeelwill behonest.Theseofficialsneedtohelpmakeourcountrybetterandasaferplace.WeAmericans hopethatallindividualswilltaketheopportunitytovoteandnotjustsitbackandcomplainabout whoisinofficeAroundvotingseason,youcanonlyvoteonetime,soitisveryshowmore content...

Failingtovoteisjustlikeyoursayingthatyoudonotcare.Whenyouregisteringtovotethatmean youbelieveinthecandidateyouarevotingfortomakethatchange.Italsomeansthatyoubelieve inyourrightstofreedomofspeech.

Byvotingtellscandidatesthattheymustbackupwhattheypromisetodotohelpmakeournationa betterplacetolive.Italsoallowsissuesaddressedbycitizensconcernsondifferentissuesintheir stateandcommunities.Goingtothepollsonthedaytovoteshowsagoodexampleforyour children,friends,family,andneighbors.

Oldpeoplearethemostreliablevotersforthiscountry.Theyhavethehighestpercentageofvoters ofanyagegroupbecausetheyknowcandidateswillfocusonSocialSecurityandMedicare However,youngpeopledonotliketovotetheythinkitisawasteoftime.Theyarefocusedon college,sociallife,andcars,etc.Ifalotofyoungpeopleshowupandvote,thepoliticianswillget themessagethatyoungpeoplehaveavoicejustasmuchastheoldpeoplePoliticiansaregoingto spendalotoftimeonissuesthatareimportanttoolderpeople,likeSocialSecurity,Medicare, retirement,andhealthcare.Youngervoters18–24year–olds,areverylowinnumberswhenit comestovoting,soitiseasierforpoliticianstopaylessattentiontotheissuesthatareimportantto youngpeople.Thegovernmentisinchargeofmakingimportant

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Introduction

Goodafternoon.I'msureyouknowthatvotingisalargepartofourlives,onethatcaninfluenceour futuresheavily.Youngadultsaretheleadersofthefuture,andwewillhavealargeresponsibilityin saidfuture.Shouldn'twebeallowedtochoosewhatworldwewanttolive(anddie)inlateron?If weliveinacountrythatwehaveoptionstochange,wecanperformbetterandfocusmore,asyou probablyfeelmorecomfortableinanenvironmentyouchosetobein.Mythreepointsare:

Appealtoyoungervotestointurnreceivemorevotes

Youngerpeople'soptimismcanhelpmakebetterchoices

Youngervoterswouldgivethegovernmentagoodoverviewonteens

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Ontomysecondpoint,thattheagerestrictiononvotingshouldbelowered,asyoungerpeopleare moreoptimistic.Inmyopinion,youngerpeoplearemoreoptimisticbecausetheymayhavenot experiencedasmanynegativethingsthroughoutthecourseoftheirlives,astheyhaven'tbeenalive forsuchalongtime.showmorecontent

Alotofyoungpeoplecomplainaboutthegovernmentanditsrules,soiftheywereallowedtovote, thegovernmentwouldhavenothingtoloseIfthesepeoplewereallowedtoofficiallyvote,the governmentcouldlookatwhattheywant,andimplementittosatisfythesecitizens'needs.This way,therewouldbelesscomplainingaboutthegovernmentbyyoungpeople,astheyhadachoice tochangewhattheythinkneedschangingThevotethatbringsyouhappinessandpeacebringsus angerandfrustration.Forexample,whenBritainvotedtobeindependent,alotofteenagerswere outragedbythedecisionofBritainleavingtheEU.Iftheywereallowedtovote,itcouldhavebeen partoftheirdecision,too;sotheywouldn'thavecomplainedaboutolderpeople.Thisiswhytheage restrictiononvotingshouldbeloweredtoatleast15yearsofageinthenear

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VotingisveryimportanttousAmericancitizensformanyreasons.Onereasonwhyvotingit significantisbecauseitisourdutyasAmericans.Allowingustovoteisgivingthecitizensavoice forlawsandbillstobecomeillegal.Also,votingletsusbeapartinmakingimportantdecisions withinyourcommunityandourcountry.Itisanhonorforustovotebecausevotingcanbelife changingVotingcomeswithmanyresponsibilities,andknowingyourissuesandrepresentatives Whenitcomestosmallcommunitiesvotingisimperativeforpeopletogetmanydifferentchanges intheirsmalltowns.Votingisalsoaprivilegeandcanbetakenawayfromcitizens.Itisourrightto voteaswellasexpressingourfreedomsIfyoudonotvoteyou

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Votingplaysanimportantroleinthemodernlivesthatcaneasilyshapethewholeworld.While somepeoplebelievethatvotingshouldbevoluntary,Ibelievethatvotingshouldbemandatoryfor moresocialbenefits.Thisessaywilldiscussthereasonswhyvotingshouldbecompulsory. Selectingtherightcandidateishardandneedmorepeopletoparticipateandtoachievethatall citizensneedtovotingandselectthefutureleaderstobenefitthemselvesandtheircountryBy addingthevotingasmandatorywillensuremoreresponsesandalsokeepthecountryontheright path.Forexample,IntheUnitedStates,therecentstudiesconductedbyvariousgovernmentsshow thattwentypercentonlyofthepopulationgavetheirvotingvoiceinthe

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VotingBehaviorEssay

Lessthan50%ofeligiblevoterswillturnouttovoteatnationalelections,andatthelocalelections therearelessthan25%.Thereisacorrelationbetweenvotingbehaviorandthedemographicof thosevoting.

Typically,peopleages30to65havebeenthemostlikelytovoteinthepastyears.Thisisingreat causeduetothisagegroupbeingthemostpoliticallyactivePeopleinthisgrouparemorelikelyto haveestablishedhomes,steadyjobs,andpartofthecommunity.Theyhavestrongerincentivestobe involvedinwhatcanaffecttheirlives.

Youngerpeopleages18–24havebeenlesslikelytovoteinthepastduetolackofinterest,money, ortimetogo.Also,theyjusthadalackofinformationsotheyjustdidn'tcaretohave...showmore content

Womenhaveexceededtheturnoutrateofmeninpresidentialelectionssince1986.Theybelieve thatthisisduetotheprominenceofissuesimportanttowomen,suchasabortion,education,and childwelfare

Whenitcomestoracewehavecomealongwayforvotingrights.Sincethevotingbarriershave beeneliminatedtheAfricanAmericancitizensvoteatleastasoftenaswhitecitizenswiththesame economicstatus.AfricanAmericansaremoreinvolvedinpoliticsthanotherminoritiesintheUS andhavethehighestlevelofvoterregistrationandparticipation.TheLatinosonlyaverageabout 49%ofeligiblevoterstovoteOneofthebigproblemsforthemisthelanguagebarrier,butwiththe LatinopopulationincreasingthereisariseofSpanishcampaigningbeingdonealongsidethe English.

ReligionisabigmotivatorforwhetherornotpeoplearevotingWhentherearebigissuesontrial thatgoagainstyourbeliefsthereisagreaterdesireforyoutovoiceyouropinionsandbeheard. VotersthatidentifywithChristianrightshaveahigherturnoutrateandvotemorefrequentlysince thereisalmostalwaysareligiousissueupfor

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Voting

Areyouaregisteredvoter?YoumightexpectahighrateofvotingintheUnitedStates.Alotof people–women,AfricanAmericans,andthepoor–foughtfortherighttovote;certainlytheir descendentswouldwanttoexercisetheirrighttovote.Iwanttodiscusswithyoutodaythe importanceofvotingTherearethreeimportantaspectsofvotingThefirstaspectisthegroupof peoplethatfailtovote,thesecondiswhythereissuchalowturnout,andfinallyisthevoters' attitude.VotingshouldbeasacredrightheldbyeachAmericancitizen.Infact,thevotingturnoutin theUnitedStatesisremarkablylowAfewyearsago,over100countrieswererankedonturnout; Americanswereranked...showmorecontent...

Therefore,incomeisabasicfactorintheturnoutandeducationonlyareinforcingfactor.

AccordingtotheonlineInternetwebsitein1996,"VotingStatistics–WestVirginiaParty Registration,"theolderwearethemorelikelywearetovote.Personseighteentotwenty–fourhave apoorvotingrecordAlsothelongerwehavelivedinoneareathemorelikelywearetovote BasedongeneralelectionfiguresinWVregistrationhasdroppedfrom1,084,451in1976to 970,745in1996.

Thesecondaspectofvotingiswhythereissuchalowturnout.AccordingtoO'Conner& Sabatointhe1995,Americangovernment:Rootsandreform,thereisnogettingaroundthefactthat theUnitedStateshasthelowestvoterparticipationrateofanynationintheindustrializedworld,and ithasdeclinedsomewhat.Onlyabouthalftheeligiblevotersvotedinthe1988generalpresidential electionand55percentin1992,comparedwith62percentin1960.Incontrast,turnoutforthe Britishpostwarelectionshasfluctuatedbetween72and84percent

ThereareanumberofreasonsforlowvotingturnoutsintheU.S.First,unliketheUnitedStates somenationshavecompulsoryvotinglaws;notsurprisingtheyonlyenjoyvoterturnoutratesin excessof95percent.Insomenationscitizenspayataxiftheydonotvote.

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TheResponsibilityofVoting

LivinginAmericagiveseachindividualfreedom.Thefreedomisyourstoexpressyourown opinionandtovote.Whetherornotwechoosetoexercisetheserightsisthedecisionthatevery AmericancitizenmakesParticipatinginourgovernmentisthesinglemostimportantpowerthatwe asAmericanshave.Whetheritistoelectofficialsortoamendalaw,votingisnotonlyanecessity, butaresponsibility.Inthe1996andthe1998presidentialelection,thevotingturnoutwasbelow 50%Ithasnotbeenbelow50%since1920

Therearemanyreasonswhycitizenschoosenottovote.Themainreasontonotvoteisthatpeople believethattheironevotewillnotmatter.Ifyouthinkthatyouroneshowmorecontent Registeredvoterscanhaveaballotsenttotheirhome.Thatwaytheirisnolineorwait,andyoucan fillitoutonyourowntime,andthenmailitbackinIndianaprovidesaformthatcanbefoundat manyplacesthatmakesiteasytoregistertovotePublicassistanceofficesarerequiredbyFederal andstatelawtooffervoterregistrationforms.

The"motorvoter"billthatwentintoaffectJanuary1,1995sentmorethatninemillioneligibleU.S. voterstovoterorrenewtheiraddressThatwasastunningfiguresinceitwasanon–presidential electionyear.

ItisanaturalthingforpeopletocomplainMymomtoldmethatIcouldnevermakeeveryone happy.Sonaturally,sincenoteveryonecannotbehappyallthetime,somepeoplearegoingto complain.Peoplewhodonotvoteareprobablysomeofthepeoplenothappyandcomplaining aboutthegovernmentatsometimeoranother.Whatgivesnonvoter'stherighttocomplain?Ifyou arenotgoingtoparticipateinelectingtheofficials,thenyoushouldnothavetheopportunityor privilegeincriticizinghowtheydotheirjobSomepeoplearguethatnonvotersdonotvotebecause theyarehappywiththegovernment.Thisdoesnotseemtobethecase.The1996NationalElection Studyshowedthatnonvoterswerelesspositivethanvoters.

Thereareavarietyofcharacteristicsbetweennonvotersandvoters.Citizenswithacollegedegree aremore

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AscitizensoftheUnitedStates,individualshavetheabilitytoparticipateintheirgovernment.In variouscountries,politicaloutcomesaremorecontrolledandtheircitizenshavelittletonosayin governmentdecisions.IntheU.S.however,aspartofarepresentativedemocracy,citizenseighteen andolderaregrantedtherighttoelectpoliticianstorepresentthem.Fromlocal,tostateandthenon tothenationallevel,votersmaypartakeinelectionsAlthoughUScitizenshavetherighttovote, asdisplayedinthelowvoterturnout,manyAmericanvotersdonotexercisethisrightduetoan arrayofreasons.

Inmorerecentnationalelections,oftheregisteredvoters,onlyaboutsixtypercentactually participatedintheelectionbycastingavote.Variousaspectsaffectvotingturnout.Somepeopleare morelikelytovotethanothersbecausetheyareregistered.Whileinotherdemocraticcountries citizenshipautomaticallyenablespeopletovote,theU.Sisoneofthefewworlddemocraciesthat requireregistrationforindividualswhowishtovote(Black).Thosethatarenotregisteredmaybe lessencouragedtoparticipateinanelectionAlthoughsomemayarguethatregisteringtovoteisa processthatrequiresonlyafewsteps,numerousamountsofindividualsfailtotakethefirststep, thustheydonotendupvoting(Black).Anotheraspectthataffectthelikelihoodofanindividual votingincludeconflictsinschedules.IntheU.S.,electionsareheldon

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Votingisarightthathaslongbeenfoughtover;ithastakencountlessreforms,amendments,and societalchangestomakeourcountry'sgreatdemocracywhatitistoday.Thetimehascomeagainto makeamuch–neededreforminvotingpoliciesbyloweringrequiredage.Sixteen–years–oldsshould bepermittedvotingstatusfornumerousreasonsincludingtheiraccesstothesamerightsasolder adults,previoussuccessthispolicyhascarriedinotherareas,andthefullcognitiveandreasoning developmentintheseolderteens.

Tostartoff,sixteen–year–oldsarepermittednearlythesamerightsasoldervotersineverycase exceptforvotingAccordingtoanarticleonteenvoting,"Peopleunderage18havetheabilityto winaNobelPrize,...showmorecontent...

"In2013,TakomaPark–asmall,progressiveenclaveinasuburbofWashington,DC–becamethe firstcityintheUStoloweritslocalelectionvotingageto16.InTakomaPark,theturnoutratefor 16–and17–year–oldsnotonlyexceededthatofeveryotherdemographicinthecity's2013and 2015elections,butnearlyquadrupledtheoverallaverage"(Crockett)Becauseoftheage requirementdecreaseinthisarea,votesincreasedsignificantly.Contrarytopopularassumption, youngerteensvaluebeingrepresented.Moreover,othercountrieshaveimplementedthisprocess withgreatsuccess;"Internationally,atleast20countriesallowcitizensundertheageof18tovote. InBrazil,Ecuador,Argentina,andNicaragua,16–year–oldsregularlycontributetotheelectoral processInGreeceandIndonesia,17–year–oldscanvoteinnationalelections,andinIsraelthey havetherighttovoteinmunicipalcontests.Recently,16–year–oldsintheScotlandelectionhada 75percentturnoutrate–higherthanvotersthreetimestheirage."(Crockett).Throughthis evidence,itisobvioustoseethatloweringthevotingagewouldbeastepintherightdirectionfor thiscountry'sdemocracy.

Certainly,somecriticswouldcontendthatteensareimmatureanduneducatedaboutelectoral processesanddonothavesufficientskillstomakecriticaldecisions,buttheyareignoranttothefact thattheirclaimisnot

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Beingabletovoteisaprivilegethathasbeengrantedtousattheageof18forover40yearsnow. Although18yearoldsandabovearegrantedtheopportunitytovoteinsomethingthatcanmakea differenceinpoliticsnoteveryonetakesthetimetoparticipateinvoting.Mostofthevotinghas beendonebyolderpeoplebecausetheyhavehadmoreexperienceandinterestinpolitics.Withthat beingsaidIthinkthemorerealisticdecisiontomakeiskeeping16and17–yearsoldsfromvoting untiltheyreachtheageof18.OnNovember13,2017,AnnysShinpublishedanarticlecalled TakomaPark16–year–oldsavorshishistorymakingmomentatthepolls.InthatarticleShin explainsthatintheMontgomeryCountyhasbeenoneofthefirstcommunitiestoallow16and17–yearsoldstovote.Thestudentthathavebeenelectedtovotefeltimportantandspecialforbeing abletohaveasayinvotesatsuchayoungage.Forthosewhoweren'tchosenmightofnothada problemwithitsimplybecausetheyweren'tinterested.Evenwhentheyteenreachtheageof18the firstthingtheythinkaboutisnotrunninguptoapollandvote,theyhavemoneyotherideasthen waitingsolongtogotothepollsandvotingatthefirstopportunitythattheygetWecannotbemore excitedtohavethe16–17yearoldsvotethentheyarethemselves.Iftheyarenoteagertovoteat 16–17thenwhyevenhavetheideatopushthemtobehungrytovoteandbeinvolvedinpolitics. Theteensthat

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ThereareavastnumberofcriticsoftheAmericanelectoralsystemthatbringuptheargumentthat ourvotersdonothavetheknowledgeortheinteresttorunademocracysuccessfully.Thesecritics claimthatthesevoterslackinjudgementandskillwhicharetwomainkeyaspectsneededto successfullyrunaformofgovernment.Inorderforagovernmenttoberunsuccessfullyweneedto havevoterswhoareinformedanduptodatewiththecurrenteventsandwhatthepoliticianshavein storeforus.Idonotbelievevotersdoknowenoughtorunanefficientgovernment.Eventhough thereisapercentageofpeopleouttherewhoareknowledgeabletheunknowledgeableoutweighs themTobeefficientvotersmustpossessknowledgeinjudgementandskillsforthegovernmentto beruneffectively.Voters

Everypersonhasadifferentformofvotingsuchasthattheymayreadthepartiesplatformand attendtheirgivendebatesandmakeaninformativedecisionthatway.Thereareotherswhogo throughtherouteofpartyidentification.Partyidentificationiswhereyouarepartofacertain politicalpartyandyourloyaltyisgiventothatpartywhichthereforeeffectsyourvotePolitical partiesserveasshortcutsforvotersbypeoplevotingforthepartytheyseebestfit.Therearepeople whovotestrictlyforthepartytheygivetheirloyaltytoandnotforthecandidatewhichisnot alwaystherightwaytogo.Thepartymayhavebeliefsandvaluethatyouagreewithbutsometimes thecandidatemaynotbethebestrepresentationofthepartyandmaynotbecapableofhavingthe powerthatcomeswiththepositionAlthoughpartyidentificationisagreatideaIfeelforour governmenttorunefficientlyweshouldseethecandidatethemselvesthenlookatthepartytofully takeintoaccounttheircore

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TheImportanceofVoting

ImportanceofVotingJaredCandelariaMay30,2012

S.M.S.S.Grade8

TheImportanceofVoting

VotingisaspecialrightthatallofushaveforlivinginthisfreecountryVotingisarightthat, throughoutthehistoryinmanycountries,peoplefromacrosstheworldhavefoughtandsacrificed everythingtoachieve.It'sarightthatpeopletothisdaycontinuetofightforinplaceswherecorrupt governmentssuppresstheirfreedomsandrightsanditiswhytensofmillionsofpeoplestilldonot enjoythisspecialright.AsAmericans,wehavethespecialchancetoliveinasocietythathassuch rightsfortheircitizens.

Tomanytheymaythinkaboutthatvotingisnotimportantwhenthere...showmorecontent... Thenin1870,fiveyearsaftertheendoftheCivilWar,theUSadoptedthe15thAmendmentofthe UnitedStatesConstitution,whichstated:"TherightofcitizensoftheUnitedStatestovoteshallnot bedeniedorabridgedbytheUnitedStatesorbyanyStateonaccountofrace,color,orprevious conditionsofservitude."Thisallowedpeopleofallethnicitiesthatwerenaturalizedorborninthe UntiedStatestovote.Italsogaveamuchlargervotingpopulationandallowedfarmorepeopleto voicetheiropinionsonthegovernmentHowever,therighttovotewasstillheldexclusivelynowto onlymalecitizens.

InAugustof1920,50yearsaftertheratificationofthe15thAmendment,The19thAmendmentwas ratifiedandaddedtotheUSConstitution.Itstated:"TherightofcitizensoftheUnitedStatestovote shallnotbedeniedorabridgedbytheUnitedStatesorbyanystateonaccountofsex."This amendment,whichwomenhadbeenfightingfordecadesfor,allowedeverylegalcitizeninthe UnitedStatestovoteandgaveeveryonecitizenachancetovoicetheiropinioninthegovernment.

FinallyinJulyof1971,another50yearshadpastandthe26thAmendmentwasoftheConstitution wasratified.Itstatedthat:"TherightofcitizensoftheUnitedStates,whoareeighteenyearsofage orolder,tovoteshallnotbedeniedor

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