Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Why is it so hard to vote?
You have to admit, our voting system is highly inconvenient. In many other countries, voting day is a national holiday. Everything is closed to produce high turnout. Why doesn't the U.S. have a national holiday for voting day? Is it because our government values economic concerns over enfranchisement? Perhaps. Is it also possible that our voting system deters people who we "don't want" voting? Maybe...certainly, it weeds out the apathetic. If you can't vote by text message or the internet--if you actually have to register and go to the place where you are registered--it definitely rewards those who are driven enough to vote.
However, people who work long or odd shifts can feasibly be shut-out on voting day. Voting via absentee ballot is time consuming and requires significant forethought. I do not count this alternative as a viable choice for your average American. It is far too difficult.
Interestingly, the poorest of society can easily vote--many are unemployed or work part-time. These people have ample time to wait in line and vote. It is the cut above the poverty line--those that support themselves by working multiple jobs or that have assembly-line jobs that are inflexible--who are likely the most disenfranchised by our archaic system.
Think about it...does anything else in today's society require "showing up"? Almost everything has an online or telephone option...you can order food, groceries and other commodities online. You can email instead of mailing a letter...and even mailing a letter, for most, requires simply walking out the door and placing a letter in a mailbox (rather than a trip to the post office). Sure, going to school or going to work is a daily chore that requires transportation...but these staples of society are virtually non-negotiable foundations. There is no built-in mechanism in our schedules that sets aside time to vote. Only a national holiday would provide this outlet. How much higher would turnout be with the day off for everyone? My friend had a conversation with a man who said he didn't have time to vote today, but that he would "vote tomorrow." A national holiday on election day would educate and make aware--who would it help? The poor and the lazy. The non-lazy poor deserve the chance. The others...eh, whatever.
However, people who work long or odd shifts can feasibly be shut-out on voting day. Voting via absentee ballot is time consuming and requires significant forethought. I do not count this alternative as a viable choice for your average American. It is far too difficult.
Interestingly, the poorest of society can easily vote--many are unemployed or work part-time. These people have ample time to wait in line and vote. It is the cut above the poverty line--those that support themselves by working multiple jobs or that have assembly-line jobs that are inflexible--who are likely the most disenfranchised by our archaic system.
Think about it...does anything else in today's society require "showing up"? Almost everything has an online or telephone option...you can order food, groceries and other commodities online. You can email instead of mailing a letter...and even mailing a letter, for most, requires simply walking out the door and placing a letter in a mailbox (rather than a trip to the post office). Sure, going to school or going to work is a daily chore that requires transportation...but these staples of society are virtually non-negotiable foundations. There is no built-in mechanism in our schedules that sets aside time to vote. Only a national holiday would provide this outlet. How much higher would turnout be with the day off for everyone? My friend had a conversation with a man who said he didn't have time to vote today, but that he would "vote tomorrow." A national holiday on election day would educate and make aware--who would it help? The poor and the lazy. The non-lazy poor deserve the chance. The others...eh, whatever.
Comments:
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Good post. I had a conversation about this with my dad recently. I don't know if I would support a national holiday because I think the apathetic people would possibly vote just because it's the thing to do, and I don't want those people voting. I think there has to be some better way, though...apparently vote by mail in Oregon is a popular progressive alternative. Maybe you could register for a ballot online (I don't trust online voting itself yet), then get something mailed to you, fill it out, and send it back. That's about as easy as Netflix.
Maybe...I guess I hold out hope that apathetic people would get interested if there was a national holiday...it would certainly bring more awareness to voting day...and, even with the holiday, the people who really didnt care still wouldnt vote. So, my hope is that given the opportunity, "on-the-border" people (between caring and not caring) would opt to get involved...
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