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Christopher Nelson Ebbtide Staff The privilege to vote is one of the fundamentals of our marvelous democracy. Humans have fought and even given their lives to have the right of suffrage, a voice in the making of our great nation. The tragedy that infects the current electoral process is not the availability or the exclusions, but rather the fact it has been taken for granted and ignored by the people. We, the citizens of the United States, must stop and realize what a crucial role we play in having a democracy. Voting and citizen participation are the backbone of a democracy. My solution for this country's dilemma is to amend the Constitution, making it mandatory for all U.S. citizens over the age of 18 to vote in every election. The struggle for suffrage has been a long and difficult road for many Americans. In a past not so long ago, women, African-Americans and other minorities fought to have their voices heard. Now, just a few decades later, many Americans do not cherish this great honor and responsibility. In this generation, it would be hard to imagine citizens risking their lives to cast a ballot; it's difficult enough to get them off their couches to vote. This is not the way to honor those who fought, giving their lives for this precious right. It seems Americans need to re-discover what it is to be an American. The statistics are embarrassing. The United States has had a steady decline in the voter participation in the last 40 years. During the 2000 presidential election, an estimated 51 percent of eligible voters showed up to the polls. Michael Hodges, author of the "Voter Participation Report," wrote: "Of the 206 million citizens of voting age, only 105 million voted - meaning 101 million did not make the effort to vote." Even more shocking, this was a good turnout compared to other elections. For the 1996 presidential election, voter turnout was at the lowest it has been since 1924, with only 49 percent of eligible voters actually casting a vote. And America appears to be going it alone with its voter apathy. In his article, "Vanishing Voters," writer John Dean stated: "Most democracies have about 80-percent voter participation. Of the 153 democracies in the world, the United States ranks near the bottom for voter involvement." We have an epidemic here in the United States. Most citizens feel something needs to change in this country, but very few will actively participate in making it happen. Whether it is because of the few and limited choices, loss of confidence or frustration from the monopoly of the two parties. To a certain degree, the majority of the American public acts as though it has very little influence. When we buy into the lie of having no control, we give our power away and have someone else speak for us. Voting is the essential tool citizens have to bring about transformation. President Madison said it best when he stated: "Democracy was the right of the people to choose their tyrant." We, the American voters, have been granted the enormous responsibility of deciding who will lead our diverse nation and must live up to our end of the bargain. If all citizens over the age of 18 were required to vote in every election, we could make progress toward returning this country to the ideals of our founding fathers; a democracy by the people and for the people. We have the power to shape this country in the image of its citizens, representing our interests. Not only would this help mold our government and laws to better reflect the people, it would force candidates to campaign to all U.S. citizens, instead of one or two demographics of the population who actually vote. We would then have a country that would better represent the views and ideals of the majority of the nation, instead of a few wealthy capitalists. Our Constitution was designed so "We the People" could direct our country and make it a true democracy. This is a precious right that all Americans have been granted and must use for it to work effectively. The process to democratically vote is not only our privilege, as Americans, it is our duty. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
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