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Voting and participation in politics have always been essential in Democracy. In an article called Democracy in Brief there is a section that talks about where the word Democracy comes from and best explains what Democracy is, and that specific section of the Democracy in Brief article states that Democracy, which derives from the Greek word demos, or people, is defined, basically, as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people; in large societies, it is by the people through their elected agents. Or, in the memorable phrase of President Abraham Lincoln, democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. ( Democracy in Brief 1.)
There are two forms of Democracy which are direct Democracy and representative Democracy. Direct Democracy is a form of Democracy in which there are no elected or appointed officials and instead citizens participate in making decisions. In the Democracy in Brief article, there is a section that best explains Direct Democracy, and the section of Democracy in Brief article states that In a direct democracy, citizens, without the intermediary of elected or appointed officials, can participate in making public decisions. Such a system is clearly most practical with relatively small numbers of peoplein a community organization, tribal council, or the local unit of a labor union, for examplewhere members can meet in a single room to discuss issues and arrive at decisions by consensus or majority vote. ( Democracy in Brief 6,8). In a representative democracy, citizens elect officials to make decisions for the good and interest of the public. In the article Democracy in Brief there is a section that best explains representative democracy and the section of Democracy in Brief states that However, today, as in the past, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or a nation of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programs for the public good. ( Democracy in Brief 8). There are consequences for not participating in voting which can either be a good consequence or a bad consequence depending on the outcome and political landscape and situation. In an article called The Dynamic Consequences of Nonvoting in American National Elections’, there is a section that states that In sum, the policy consequences of unequal nonvoting may not be restricted to those created by electoral outcomes. If voters and nonvoters respond in different ways to political and economic events, they will send different signals to government about their policy preferences. Policymakers might then respond to either the preferences of the electorate or the preferences of the public as a whole. If policymakers respond disproportionately to the cues sent by voters, differences in voters and nonvoters preferences have important policy consequences even if the effects of nonvoting on election outcomes are marginal. (Ellis, Ura,Robinson 228).
The main reason why I chose this specific section from The Dynamic Consequences of Nonvoting in American National Elections article is that this specific section best explains what consequences can happen when not participating in voting. Democracy cannot be sustained when so few people participate in the political system is that there will be very little government progress and drastic consequences to society. In an article called Democracy Without Participation: A New Politics for a Disengaged Era there is a section that best explains on how Democracy cannot be sustained when so few people participate in the political system and the section states that Furthermore, interest among citizens in informal forms of political participation characteristic of this new era of governance conforms to wider patterns of inequality and inactivity in that take-up among citizens as a percentage of the citizen body as a whole is not only very low but also overwhelmingly dominated by members of economically advantaged groups. Liberal democratic states are characterised by low and, often, declining rates of citizen participation in formal and informal political activities, and the business of governance has been increasingly centralised within elite institutions, and conducted in a language, and according to rules, that ordinary citizens cannot speak and do not understand. Democratic decision-making has become disconnected from the citizen body in general, and disproportionately so from poorer citizens who do not engage in even the minimal opportunities which still exist for them to voice their concerns (Mair 2013). Indeed, the decline of grassroots and broad-based membership organisations has had a disproportionately negative impact on poorer citizens, and further entrenched their exclusion from democratic politics. The professionally run, centrally managed elite organisations which have replaced traditional mass-membership organisations are less suited to mobilising grassroots activists from less advantaged, less educated, backgrounds or representing their interests in elite political discussions (Skocpol 2004a, b; Skocpol and Jacobs 2005). (Parvin,36). The main reason why I have chosen this specific section of the Democracy Without Participation: A New Politics for a Disengaged Era is that this section best explains on how Democracy cannot be sustained when a few people participate in the political system and also this section mentions on how society is changing and also how society is greatly affected when a few people participate in the political system which shows clearly that a Democracy cannot be sustained when a few people participate in the political system.
There two primary reasons why people dont vote more in the U.S is due to the voters themselves and voting laws. The main reason why voters themselves are the first primary reason why people dont vote more in the U.S is that voters have different beliefs, opinions and can also have different government views on issues and situations that are going on during the time. In an article called Why Dont More People in the U.S. Vote? there is a specific section that states that Generally, the older you are and the more wealth you have, the more likely it is that you will be a voter. However, young-adult voters turned out in record numbers in the 2018 midterm election, increasing early voting rates 188 percent over the 2014 midterm election. Aside from age, education and income level remain the best predictors of a persons likelihood to vote. According to the New York Times, those most likely to vote have an annual income from $50,000$100,000. White people and those between the ages of 40 64 are the most likely to vote in the race and age groups, respectively. However, black voter turnout has increased at least 20 percent since the mid-1990s. Throughout the 1800s, about 80 percent of those qualified (i.e., white males) actually voted. Toward the end of the century, particularly after the Civil War, many states set up obstacles to voting such as poll taxes, literacy tests, residency requirements, and annual registration fees. These obstacles were primarily directed against Southern blacks as part of segregationist state laws (known as Black Codes and, later, Jim Crow laws). In the 19th century, many Northern states also enacted laws that prevented black men from voting and passed laws to make voting more difficult for white workers who were recent immigrants and who spoke little English. As a result of these obstacles, voting levels nationwide went down from 79 percent in 1896 to 49 percent in 1920. The 15th Amendment prohibiting racial discrimination in voting in 1870 and the 19th Amendment giving women the vote in 1920 expanded the franchise to more and more Americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protected minorities right to vote in the South where state laws had deliberately undermined and violated the 15th Amendment since 1877. In 1971, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Still, voter participation in the United States has declined. Compared to other developed nations in the world, the U.S. has very low voter turnout. Belgium leads the world in voter turnout with a rate of 87.2 percent of eligible voters in a recent national election. The U.S. trails far behind with its rate of only 55.7 percent in 2016. ( Why Dont More People in the U.S. Vote? , 1).
The main reason why voting laws are the second primary reason why people dont vote more in the U.S is that states can be very strict and different with their voting laws. In an article called Why Dont More People in the U.S. Vote? there is a specific section that states that Some experts link the decline in voting to bureaucratic obstacles. In their 1988 book Why Americans Dont Vote, sociologists Frances Piven and Richard Cloward point out that when Americans are registered to vote, they show up at the polls 80 percent of the time. They argue that despite legislation that potentially opens the polls to nearly everyone, obstacles to voter registration continue to affect turnout at the polls. Poor people and minorities tend to be less likely to register to vote. Their lack of voting tends to create a vicious circle. When the poor and minorities refrain from voting, politicians do not feel obligated to address their concerns. Because politicians dont speak to their needs, these groups risk becoming even less interested in politics. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 was based on the assumption that voting is a fundamental right and that it is the duty of government to promote the exercise of that right. The act was designed to encourage potential voters to register and to remove discriminatory and unfair obstacles to voter registration. It requires states to register voters with three methods. Eligible citizens can register: When applying for or renewing a drivers license. This so-called motor-voter method is used in about a dozen states. ” With a mail-in application. ” At public assistance agencies and agencies that provide services to people with disabilities. In addition
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