Contemporary America isn’t the same as when the founding fathers created it. Modern day political parties have evolved to Political Powers. Larry Bartel elaborates on how Politics are corrupted by money, wealth and
We often assume that the reason behind the low voter turnout in the U.S. is due to institutional challenges (i.e. voter ID laws, registration, costs). Therefore, reformers most often focus on offering and improving various forms of convenience voting to increase turnout. Skeptics such as Graeme Orr argue that “voting whenever, from wherever, is a ‘lifestyle’ option.” Another skeptic, Adam J. Breinsky, argues that convenience voting has “perverse consequences on election reform” and that encouraging political engagement is more valuable than pursuing institutional changes. Although convenience voting offers flexibility and comfort, it is imperative not to overlook what Election Day is supposed to be: a communal event. Therefore, we must work towards a hybrid system where voting on Election Day is made more convenient.
Partisans on both sides of politics are often so angry with each other that they barely communicate, making it difficult to work together to find solutions for America’s issues. Extreme partisans sometimes refuse to work with members of an opposing party. Each party believes the other is treasonous, and is purposely harming the nation. The same Pew Research Center study found that opposite sides do not just believe they have better ideas, but honestly think the other party is more interested in partisan gains than the well-being of the nation. The study also found that over that last thirty years the nation has become more partisan, and Congress has become less effective. Parties have also become more extreme, basing political agendas on demonizing the opponent and skewing discussions of issues facing the nation (Coblenz,
In 2012, the year of the latest presidential election in the United States, the population of citizens capable and legally allowed to vote was 235,248,000; however, only 129,235,000 voted, making the voter turnout of 2012 54.9%. This statistic, being only slightly over fifty percent, makes the opinion of the other half completely irrelevant. The outcomes of the presidential election do not accurately portray the opinion of the nation due to the low voter turnout. Due to the lack of time, the complication of registration, and the opinion of voters that their individual vote does not matter, the voter turnout of the United States has been negatively impacted; however, these issues can be resolved through effective means of changing the mindset
The United States currently faces a severe problem with one of their governmental processes. In the democratic system of the United States, politicians are elected by voting from the citizens, in most cases. The problem the United States is facing is that people are no longer voting in elections for officials. This problem is discussed in the article, “In praise of low voter turnout”, written by Charles Krauthammer. The main idea behind this article is that voters are no longer interested in politics, as they were in previous generations. As the United States establishes itself as a superpower, the need for politics becomes less important to the citizens. Also, we are experiencing a shift in focus to developing more technology and building
I agree with Lenora, politics shows the other side of candidates, politicians have an adverse opinion of each other especially in the campaign advertisements. The current case of 2016, some candidate already disqualify one another for the
Through reading the Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge and pondering over its contents, I have come to love the ideals this president once foreign to me. I am able to identify with many family, educational, political, and life values exhibited in the book, and take great pride in the comparison of qualities with this historical figure.
Another innate flaw in the Electoral College is it “damages the chances of third-party candidates [to make] a serious bid for the White House because such candidates rarely gain enough voter support to win entire states” (Newton and Rich, “Point: Electoral College”). Despite this, the presence of third party candidates can tip the popular vote in individual states, therefore affecting the total outcome of the election due to the “winner-takes-all” allocation of electoral votes. Such was the case with Ralph Nader, a Green Party presidential candidate, whose 1.6% of the popular vote in Florida was one of the factors that “shifted the state from Democratic nominee Al Gore to Republican George W. Bush” (Black, Minnpost). It is cases like these that hurt the overall case for third-party candidates, whose attempts to achieve office get dismissed by the general American public and other political parties. In the months surrounding the 2012 election, Republican campaign aides and officials were attempting to prevent Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson’s place on ballots out of fear that his presence would steal votes from Mitt Romney, the Republican Party candidate (Rutenberg, NYTimes). Practices like these show how the Electoral College indirectly allows the reduction of third-party candidates to ballot obstacles instead of legitimate contenders with valid ideas that could
There is a need to abolish the Electoral College because it is outdated and problematic. It has caused the candidates with less popular votes to win the presidency. Many people are against the Electoral College for this very reason. In the past the Electoral College has caused controversy because of its problems and there has been a need for reform.
Over the last decade congressional polarization has increased at alarming rates causing Washington insiders and outsiders alike to worry about the future of American politics and democracy. While Democrats and Republicans on The Hill cannot agree on much, they both acknowledge that the increasing level of polarization in Washington is crippling the entire legislative branch, thereby undermining the greatest democracy in the world. Numerous public opinion polls, over the last few years, have shown that the vast majority of the American public, regardless of party affiliation, disapproves of, and feels unrepresented by, the extremely polarized legislature (Gallup, 2016). However, year after year, despite how many Americans become disgruntled
In 2016, the presidential election was brutal: the two candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton spoke negatively about each other every chance they got and it still remains undetermined whether or not one or both candidates bribed and cheated their way to the top of their party. Additionally, the battle to decide the Democratic party’s nominee was tight, as Bernie Sanders was extremely popular with the young, liberal voters. In a way, 2016’s election bears many similarities to the Election of 1800. They both began with three potential winners: a popular upstart who was attempting to make his presidential debut, an occasionally-unconstitutional lawyer who had had already had an influential voice in the executive branch, and a racist, loud-mouthed,
Imagine getting the freedom to vote and then it turns into not a freedom, but a requirement. How would this affect you? In 1994, South Africa became a full democracy, people stood in line for more than eight hours in order to vote. Other democracies around the world such as Australia and Peru deal with the problem of low, voter turnout so they have a requirement to vote. Should Americans be required to vote? Voting shouldn’t be required if we have the same government system we have today, because of potential penalties of not voting, increasing the number of uninformed voters, and letting ignorance take rein.
The Electoral College system is a long process but a fair system. The theory behind this system is to ensure that all of the states, even the small ones, receive a fair voice in the election. In doing so, this will assist in the election process. Electoral College is defined as, “an unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states’ electoral votes” (Patterson, T.E., 2013, p.514). The Electoral system is a large part of the cohesiveness in our country and requires the distribution of support throughout our election process. This paper will describe the structure and function of the Electoral College, will compare the Electoral College to a popular vote approach for elections, and assess the value of an individual citizen’s
Many people believe that the election plays the most important role in democracy. Because a free and fair election holds the government responsible and forces it to behave on voter's interest. However, some scholars find evidence that election itself is not enough to hold politicians responsible if the institutions are not shaping incentives in a correct way. In other words, the role of the election on democracy, whether it helps to serve the interest of the public or specific groups, depends on other political institutions.