USA Voting Trends in Decrease - Literature review Example

Decrease Of Voting Trends In The United s Introduction Apparently, the United s is one of the many countries across the world that has exercised outmost sovereignty and democracy during elections which in most cases tend to be envied by other countries especially third world countries that are developing in politics and governance. At the same time, elections in most countries are products of political and legal processes. Nevertheless, the United States has in the recent past enacted some legal laws that have matured to be obstacles thus influencing the dismantling of voting as opposed to the past thirty, forty and fifty years (Griffith & American Bar Association, 2008). According to Kornbluh (2000), this has been regarded to as an instance of voting paradox which mostly revolves around the behavior of voters. In this regard, political scientists have continually researched on the attitude of voters so as to understand the reasons as to why people from the United States practice a low voter turnout. Some of the factors associated with legal obstacles involve Voters ID laws, Poll taxes and Paper trails. Voters ID laws Apparently, the history of elections in the United States has had two memorable event namely; the contentious 2000 presidential elections and the 2004 election. As a result of these events, the lawmakers have begun making reforms on election issues with consultation from other private entities such as Help America Vote Act ,which has compelled the state to be more keen on the accessibility and bases of voters. According to Keyssar (2009), individuals who support the Voters ID laws argue that in the modern world the most used form of identification is the ID and as such voters are expected to present their identification once they are at the voting booth. Through this practice, cases of fraud and related irregularities are drastically reduced and / or eliminated. Furthermore, the supporters argue that Voter ID laws should not be taken negatively because the current century has identification as a routine in life. On the other hand, Anti- Voter ID laws crusaders argue that the issue of personal identification could be used by interest groups to maintain the way of life for the middle and upper class people in the United States. Nevertheless, people experiencing various disabilities with the inclusion of the minority, the poor and the elderly might not be in a position to possess or use the identification particularly in the voting process. Additionally, the anti- voters ID laws expect the state and interest groups to encourage nontraditional voters to involve themselves in election processes through avoiding barriers that are associated with democratic participation. Hall (2010) points out that it is estimated that approximately 24 states in the United States have received instructions through the election officials to accept voters IDs or an alternative of any other form of state identification such as the driving license, passport when necessary. Consequently, it is worth noting that the issue of Voters ID laws have not been with loop holes in countries where it has been practiced to the extent of being taken up to courts. For instance, in 2007 the United States Supreme court agreed to handle a case in which voters were expected by the Indiana voters ID law to produce Voters ID that were government- issued and further contained photos. The court’s resolution was expected to take interest of both parties and give the way forward. Poll Taxes Actually, poll taxes were tax payments that were introduced during the 19th century by the then political figures such that people who were willing to vote would demonstrate their commitment by paying some fees before voting. Unfortunately, most of the African- Americans and the poor whites were not in position to afford such fees, and instead stayed away from voting. Later on, the United States constitution abolished the poll taxes through the 15th Amendment which argued that individuals who had a family lineage especially the father or grandfather who had previously voted towards abolishment of slave trade would be allowed to vote without the payment (Griffith & American Bar Association, 2008). Currently, the constitution through the 24th Amendment no longer allows poll taxes and has constitutionally permitted every person in the United State to vote. Paper Trails It is for undoubted reasons that the United States is among the most developed countries across the world. As such, most technological advancements are first experienced in such countries before they are experience by the developing countries. In this regard, the United States has advanced in their voting systems from the traditional method of paper work to the modern method that is purely electronic; electronic voting. Nevertheless, this advancement has demonstrated a number of challenges. Some of these challenges include electronic scandals, recounts among others. According to Keyssar (2009), research carried out by both public and private entities confirmed that voting through electronic means could be associated to technical hitches especially when the expectations were too high. Importantly, the system could further experience intentional manipulation as a result of being controlled by human beings. Basically, the continuous research have confirmed the possibility of tampering with the assumed accuracy and reliability, but instead increases the chances of computer challenges or related issues such as mishandling. Consequently, there has been a suggestion from technology firms in the United States and other parts of the world pertaining to the development of independent software that is capable of withholding any kind of manipulation. Technology experts have further suggested that due to the nature of technology particularly in terms of challenges, electronic voting should be supported by paper work. Currently, most of the states in the United States are responding to the paper trails by purchasing machines that are capable of generating receipt for the vote cast. However, as technology advances the United States and the world in general will be expected to use specific technology such as Optical scan technology in voting exercises. Decrease in the number of voters The concept of decreased number of voters in the recent past as opposed to the past thirty, forty or fifty years is contentious. Apparently, people expect that the present of advancement of technology in paper trails and the use of voter ID laws notwithstanding the abolishment of the poll taxes would automatically lead to an increase the voting rate (Hall, 2010). Conversely, voters in the United States have refrained from voting for various reasons. Firstly, the abolishment of the poll taxes was specifically created to ensure that only the Native Americans had the privilege to vote. Thus, those African Americans and the poor Native Americans had begun experiencing discrimination way before the introduction of the Poll taxes. Despite the abolishment on theoretical ground through the constitution, the practice still exists across the states but through hidden means. As a result, this minority population has decreasing interest in voting. Secondly, the Voters ID laws have arguably been said to target the middle and upper class that are perceived to have more ‘rights’ to possess and utilize them. On the other hand, the disabled, poor, and the elderly face discrimination especially when they try to conform to some of the laws. For instance, the elderly and poor cannot conform to some of the alternative laws such as driving license and passports incase the personal identification is not present. The disabled too might not have the opportunity to vote if they are not accorded special attention. Finally, although the paper trails has a positive impact on voting many people have lost faith in elections and hence they do not find it being important any longer since they believe that their choice of candidate might face discrimination and especially when the candidate is from the minority group as well. Needless to say, when such technology is experienced then it is first tested by the majority before the minority group is granted the opportunity to do so (Kornbluh, 2000). Conclusion The concept of voting in the United States is crucial in political aspect. Being a developed country much is expected from them especially in ensuring that fairness and equally is demonstrated to both developed and developing countries that have keen interest to the country. Through certified research, it is clear that voters are highly likely to continue declining in participating in voting despite the fact that legal obstacles to voting has been dismantled. The presence of discrimination as a hidden ancient practice is discouraging especially when it comes from developed countries like the United States. In this regard, discrimination ought to be avoided at all cost in order to encourage voters to find it more worth to participate in voting and alter the current voting statistics in an upward trend. References: Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Griffith, B. E., & American Bar Association. (2008). America votes!: A guide to modern election law and voting rights. Chicago, Ill: American Bar Association, Section of State and Local Government Law. Hall, R. E. (2010). An historical analysis of skin color discrimination in America: Victimism among victim group populations. New York: Springer. Keyssar, A. (2009). The right to vote: The contested history of democracy in the United States. New York: Basic Books. Kornbluh, M. L. (2000). Why America stopped voting: The decline of participatory democracy and the emergence of modern American politics. New York: New York University Press. Read More