It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that America has one of the most anti-democratic voting systems in the world.
STORY: We Vote, We Win! #TeamObama by Michael Skolnik
The long lines, the registration process and the fact that Election Day is in the middle of the week make voting a tedious task for many Americans. As a result, the US has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world which has remained around 49 to 55 percent in national elections and around 39 to 49 percent during midterm elections since the 60s.
In other parts of the world, governments encourage their citizens to participate in the democratic process by making it more conveinent for them to exercise their right to vote. In Australia, Election Day is a national holiday and everyone has the day off from work. In Hungary, citizens rallied in protest against their prime minister’s push to impose a law requiring voters to register two weeks prior to voting. Protesters argue that someone should not be denied the right to vote if they decide two days before an election that they want to cast their ballot. On top of that, governments in other countries create eligible voter lists, which allows the mass population of their citizens to vote.
It would make sense for officials to make the process easier by designating it as a national holiday so that working class people aren’t burdened by losing a day’s pay. But on the contrary, the Republican Party went to great lengths to make it harder by imposing voter ID laws over the last year which disproportionately hurt minorities. This is a far cry from the wishes of our Founding Fathers, who celebrated Election Day as a holiday during colonial times.
However, the fact that voting is a rigorous process that has legally disenfranchised minority groups is no coincidence. Neither is it coincidential that since our democratic conception, the ruling class in the US since has been dominated the elite which happen to be older, well off white men.
That’s why we must stop at nothing to end this injustice and fight to keep moving our country forward. It’s also another reason why it is so crucial for you, your family, friends and neighbors to cast your vote in the 2012 presidential election.
Yes, the wait is going to be long and tiring. But just think, how many times have we waited on line to show our support for so other things and people? Whether that happened to be for a concert, an iPhone or gas is not the point. The point here is that we have waited in long lines on a number of occasions and what’s more important than the next four years of your life?
Think about it and ask yourself, is my future worth the wait? If it is, then head to polls and make sure you cast your vote!
-Selena Hill
Selena Hill is the Special Election Coverage Reporter at GlobalGrind.com. She’s also a radio host at Let Your Be Heard! Radio where you can hear more of her views and opinions. Follow her at @MsSelenaHill and @BeHeard_Radio.
