Being politically active is important because: " the government in people's day to day lives, the positive benefits we all enjoy because of policies enacted by government, the ways in which ours and our fellow citizens lives could be improved by future government action, the ability of civic action to affect meaningful change." .
However, some people do not think it is important to actively participate in politics. Civil rights activists believe it is important to have the right to do these things, but should not be forced to. In other countries, such as Australia, citizens are required by law to vote. This policy is not agreeable to our nation for a few reasons. First, it gives up a part of our freedom. Second, if people are made to vote they will be making a decision based on a whim and not because they are aware of the issues. In this country people who vote, for the most part, vote because they follow the elections and want their voice to be heard.
As stated above, we are not made to vote and therefore in this country the recent turnout in the 2000 election was below fifty percent. Because of these low numbers with voting participation political scientists have been taking polls to find out which demographics have the lowest voter turnout. They have found many correlations between certain social and age groups along with their voting habits. These experts do this to understand why the voter turnout is decreasing.
These political scientists have realized throughout the years that the wealthy vote more then the needy, the elderly vote more then the youth of today, and the better educated vote more then the less educated. Experts feel that the needy population votes less because they are too busy trying to survive day to day problems. Also, they feel like politicians do not target them. Politicians seem to pay more attention to the upper class more.
This brings us to the elderly population often linked to citizens with higher income.
Electronic Voting Everyone believes that the way we vote with punch cards will definitely change. ... Electronic voting would make voting much easier. ... Electronic voting would take away the possibility of human error. ... There would be no interpretation with electronic voting. ... Electronic voting could even go on-line. ...
They claim that the Voting Rights Act lost the moral clarity that it once had in the 1960s. The main conflict within the Voting Rights Act is whether or not the right to vote was included with the right to representation. ... Districting and other voting-related changes became subject to federal veto if discrimination was suspected. ... It asked the courts to measure electoral inequality in voting districts. ... They believe it to promote racial separatism and assume that all blacks think (and vote) alike. ...
One rationale for online voting is found in the convenience it brings to the voting experience. ... People with disabilities may prefer online voting over traditional, in-person voting or voting with the assistance of technology in the voting place. ... Electronic voting machines and vote-by-mail have vulnerabilities of their own, however, and for some voters, the benefits of online voting may already outweigh the risks. ... Online voting is a less visible method of voting and more difficult to understand. ... The two important concepts of having equal voting power are that only eligible voter...
1965 Voting Rights Act was the foremost event in the history. ... In addition, it is also about the people who were in the Voting Rights Act and their struggles to get right to vote. ... The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits discrimination of the black people in voting practices. ... Johnson sent the voting rights bill to congress. ... In conclusion, Voting Rights Act in 1965 was the chief event for the black majority people for their vote to rights. ...
To understand the importance of voting it might be easier to understand the suffering that went into allowing all Americans to vote equally. ... Women and minorities had to fight hard to win their right to vote. For instance, African-Americans waited a long painful trial to vote. ... That statement is absurd, just as the thought of not voting. ... The only way to prevent this is by voting. ...
Many states, North and South, required payment of poll taxes, property ownership, or literacy as a condition of voting. ... Since few blacks had been qualified to vote prior to that date, this exemption applied exclusively to whites. ... Before the passage of the Act, only 383 African-Americans of voting age, out of approximately 15,000, were registered to vote in Dallas County, Alabama. In the three months following the enactment of the Voting Rights Act, 8000 African-Americans were registered. ... In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. ...
To some voting may be a waste of time, many seem to think that there vote doesn't count, others think that it is the civic duty to cast their vote, makes them a responsible citizen. ... Even those that do vote, are we voting just because it makes us a responsible citizen? ... I my self had once pondered the thought of not voting. Asking the same question, if I vote would my vote really count? ... The only vote that doesn't count is a vote that is not counted. ...
This requirement effectively prevented many working-class men from voting. ... Furthermore, British law continued to exclude women from voting. ... Gladstone pushed through a reform bill that extended voting rights still further. ... Disraeli argued in favor of women's voting rights in a speech before the House of Commons in 1866 and he also argued that a woman could be a queen and could own land and should be able to vote. ... Then the Parliament granted the vote to women over the age of 30 and they had the right to vote on the same basis as men. ...
Bob Moses was attacked and beaten for his efforts to vote. ... I"m sure that these 15,280 people who didn't register and or didn't vote thought they had really good excuses for not voting. ... Even if you don't like the candidates you should still vote. ... The truth of the matter is there is no excuse for not voting. You have the right to vote, you have the right not to vote, but by not voting you silence your voice in our government. ...
