Living in a nation based on democracy — where a citizen’s voice is the equivalent of casting a vote in political elections — the majority of American citizens eligible to vote do not participate in elections. The rationale behind voter non-participation varies among individuals and demographic groups, however, they all share a connection in regards to their feelings towards their treatment by the country’s political system.
The fact that congressional elections encounter some of the lowest voter turnout rates speaks to the misrepresentation and corruption present in the current political system, fueling the cycle of repetitive non-voter interest in political elections. Certain voter demographic groups have been systematically oppressed, making it difficult for them to believe that they have a role in the current state of the country’s political system. In addition, there have been barriers put into place in order to to prevent certain demographic groups the accessibility to cast votes in elections.
Also, some eligible voters intentionally choose to not participate in voting. Many people in the United States do not participate in voting and the amount of non-voters continues to increase due to the demographic groups faced with oppression, unfair barriers, and an overall negative attitude in regards to the American political system. Among non-voting Americans, many categorize into demographic groups that are being systematically oppressed by the political system in the form of misrepresentation and corruption among government officials.
According to voter trends in “Who Votes? Congressional Elections and the American Electorate: 1978-2014” by sociologist Thom File, Americans with low incomes, lower levels of education, younger Americans, and minorities are among some of the demographic groups experiencing the lowest voter rates. On the other hand, the wealthy, higher educated, older, and non minority white Americans are among the demographic groups with the highest voter turnouts (File, 2015, Table 2).
Each of these demographic groups is not particularly regarded highly in society and more importantly, get overlooked by politicians whose job it is to take into consideration the views of all Americans rather than those privileged in the form of wealth or societal status. Politicians catering to only select demographic groups creates and reinforces a hierarchy apparent to the suppressed demographic groups, causing them to have the outlook that they are outcasted by the government.
The loss of interest stems from the recurring and prominent belief among non-voters that their vote does not matter. This belief directly correlates with the amount of non-voters in the United States. Meaning, if citizens believe that their vote does not matter or is taken into account by government officials, they come to the conclusion that it is not necessary for them to participate in elections. Since their beliefs are shared, and thus, spread throughout their demographic groups, this contributes to their group’s low voter turnout rates.
The contrast between the demographic groups with low and high voter turnout rates exemplifies the manifestation of negative attitudes created towards voting in the oppressed demographic groups. Moreover, there are certain barriers to prevent demographic groups, more specifically the already oppressed groups, the ease and accessibility of casting a vote during an election. An example of a barrier furthering the oppression of certain demographic groups are voter ID laws. Cathaleen Chen states in her article, “Is Virginia’s Voter Photo ID Law Discriminatory?
Federal Court Hears Case. ” that” the real reason Republicans pass voter ID laws is to disenfranchise poor and minority voters who tend to vote Democratic” and that these minority voters would be “less likely to possess the required form of ID and face significantly higher burdens while trying to obtain it. “(Chen, 2016, para. 11). Voter ID laws would require citizens to acquire a government issued ID in order to receive a ballot in order to and cast a vote in an election.
The purpose behind the creation of voter ID laws is to prevent any sort of voter fraud, however, the problem with this is that voter IDs would require a payment that may not be possible for all citizens to make. The argument is that by the mandatory request of a government issued ID at polling stations in order for a citizen to be granted the ability to vote and thus, partake in an election, is that it unnecessarily hinders those that may experience difficulty with the acquirement of a government issued ID.
To clarify, government issued IDs would cost citizen’s money in order to obtain, meaning, it would be a financial burden on the lower income demographic groups. Oftentimes, members of low income demographic groups overlap with additional suppressed demographic groups such as younger Americans, minorities, or those with low education levels. To reiterate, these are the characteristics of suppressed demographic groups with low voter turnout rates.
Government officials, specifically those who self identify themselves as members of the Republican Party, intentionally create barriers in order to prevent and discourage eligible voters they deem undesirable from participating in elections. It is in the government official’s best self-interest to further oppress these demographic groups to continue with low voter turnout trends in order for not only themselves, but also members of their party to remain in office for as long as possible.
This is oppression in the form of corruption among government officials. Barriers will continue to emerge and prevent the oppressed demographic groups as long as corruption is present within the government. Furthermore, many eligible voters intentionally choose to not participate in elections as a form of protest against the political system. The non-voter’s negative perception in regards to the political system is caused by the cycle of oppression generated by the government itself. Contributing editor of The Atlantic, Andrew
Cohen states in his article “George Will Gets Everything Wrong About Voting”, that “partisan state officials all over the country” have made it “harder, or impossible for people who [want] to register to vote to actually do so” (Cohen, 2012, Paragraph 3, para. 3). The fact that elected representatives cater to select demographic groups for self gain is a form of corruption in itself. It is a government official’s job to take into consideration the best interest all of their constituents rather than just the elite.
Without a proper voice, especially one not cared for by public representatives, citizens are misrepresented. This misrepresentation is a continuous cycle that causes not only those that are affected, but also those that oppose it to have a negative perception when it comes to voting. Many are aware of this corruption among government officials and do not vote as a protest tactic to prove their indignation with the political system.
Corruption and the continuous cycle of misrepresentation among government officials continues to escalate as the amount of non-voting American citizens increases. Therefore, the increasing amount of non-voting American citizens is contingent with misrepresentation and their perceived treatment by corrupt government officials. Demographic groups that are not highly regarded in society have been systematically oppressed causing them to doubt their voice in the country’s democracy.
Also, corrupt government officials further oppress citizens by creating barriers to prevent undesirable demographic groups the ease of voting in order for self advancement in the political system. Lastly, government misrepresentation and corruption have caused many citizens to have an overall negative stance towards politics and thus intentionally chose to not vote. In order to decrease the amount of non-voters, citizens must be encouraged to combat government corruption and to take an active role in politics.
