The Greatest Voice of Democracy: How Voting Inspires Change and Serves the Nation

Eliot Watson is 11th Grader at Hume-Fogg High School. Watson won 1st place for this essay in the 2024 YLD Art & Essay Contest.

In 1996, Green Party politician and activist Ralph Nader launched his first campaign for the U.S. Presidency, and chief among his policy positions was his advocacy for universal healthcare. He garnered less than one percent of the popular vote. Thirteen years later, the Affordable Care Act became U.S. law, establishing a first-of-its kind national healthcare system. By 2022, the ACA had an approval rating of 55% percent, and the two of the law’s centerpiece provisions–the protections for preexisting conditions and mandatory coverage for pregnant women–were strongly favored by more than 70% of the U.S. public. What caused this turnabout in public opinion and a sea change in national policy? Four Presidential campaigns and thirteen straight years of Ralph Nader popularizing those ideas in America, without ever winning an election. Campaigns like Nader’s show that voting can be one of the best ways to fight for the things you care about, engage others, and use your voice in the Democratic process.

While the U.S. has largely been a two-party system since the year 1800, third-party voting has long been a tool to promote new ideas and gain support for underserved causes. The success of the late 19th century Populist party is an important example of one of the first social movements that came from third parties. The Populists emerged out of an attempt to draw broader attention to and unify the marginalized political ideals of the rural West and South. The fringe party advocated for policies like government ownership of railroads, direct election of U.S. Senators, and standards regarding the coinage of silver.

While the Populists' appeal was limited to a small block of voters, their widespread effect at mobilizing and coordinating those voters was undeniable. Populist voters became some of the most passionate and engaged of all politically involved citizens, even inspiring a young Lyndon B. Johnson’s entry into politics. In 1888, the Populists did not exist, and neither did the states of Idaho and North Dakota. By 1892, the Populist Party carried Idaho, North Dakota, and three other states in that year's U.S. Presidential election. In the space of a mere five months after their first-ever convention in 1892, the Populists managed to position themselves as both the main opposition to Democratic hegemony in the South and a counter to Republican control in western states, all due to their ability to get voters to turn out and support their common ideals.

Votes that refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of a candidate or position, and instead speak purely from an individual's mind and opinion are powerful statements of belief and hope for change.

Four years after their striking performance, with the strength of Populist ideas proven, Democrats allied with the Populists to jointly nominate a U.S. Presidential candidate with a fiercely populist platform. This new

Democratic Populism would dominate the Democratic party for two decades, help kickstart the progressive movement of the early 1900s, and would see many of the once-fringe populist policies become reality, as their ideas were incorporated into what the major politicians of the day were fighting for. Chief among these, of course, was support for women’s suffrage, leading to the adoption of the 19th amendment in 1920 and guaranteeing the right to vote for women. Their support of farm subsidies and the eight-hour work day, as well, would become widespread in the Progressive era and enshrined in law in 1916.

As seen with the example of the Populist party, a key driver of third parties is their ability to energize typically apathetic voters. This was the case with the 1992 U.S. Presidential candidacy of billionaire Texas entrepreneur Ross Perot, who is credited with bringing many people into the political process who might otherwise have never voted. Perot’s campaign was unusual in many ways, particularly that it started from the grassroots, without a formal organization. Despite not appearing on the ballots in Oregon or Washington, Perot secured substantial support in both the

Republican and Democratic primaries. Commenting on the fervor of Perot’s supporters, Oregon Senator Bob Packwood noted he’d seen nothing like it since Vietnam–another time in U.S. history when voter engagement had been harnessed to express social discontent and manifest change against an incumbent President.

How did Perot create such a storm in the political scene? Largely by his unique positioning on the issues of the day and by appealing to the power of voting. For example, Perot captured the attention of many apolitical citizens with his creative TV advertisements, in which he would use charts and graphs to make half hour long pitches on issues–a tactic that presented a refreshingly simple contrast to the usual political technique of reliance on soundbites and attack ads. Perot’s intense focus on issues that mattered to him–like the federal deficit, congressional term limits, and opposition to NAFTA–had a substantial impact on how voters understood and reacted to the topics being discussed. Even without a targeted regional campaign, and as a mere independent candidate, Perot was able to attain over 19,000,000 votes and start a movement that would define the 1990s as a political era.

In an era of extreme polarization, punitive party politics, and razor-thin victory margins, third-party or independent voters are often accused of “throwing away” their votes. This criticism is misplaced, however. Votes that refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of a candidate or position, and instead speak purely from an individual's mind and opinion are powerful statements of belief and hope for change. In 1789, the United States ratified a constitution that was unique in the world for establishing self-government by a people freed from a formal ruling class. The expansion of voting rights over the course of the country’s history has underscored the idea that inherent in the concept of freedom is the ability to advocate for one’s beliefs by voting. While the U.S. political structure seems like it is tied intrinsically to a two-party system, nearly three centuries of experience shows that voting–particularly voting for a third party–is one of the best ways to fight for the things you care about and show the power of voting as the strongest voice of democracy.