Getting Americans Out To Vote

Voting gives us a voice in our government. From the nation’s founding, Election Day "became synonymous with raucous public revelries of common people" celebrating this nation's democracy, and many states declared it a public holiday (Jackson). In 1845, Election Day was chosen with turnout in mind, and is set “after the busiest season for farmers” but “before winter storms have started” (Jackson). For decades since, they were not only a time of voting but also a time when voters participated in festivities which instilled the sense of civic duty in many, especially those too young to be eligible to vote (Dastagir).

As suffrage was granted to more people, voting participation skyrocketed, but it did not take long before voters were discouraged to get out and vote, as poll violence and restrictions disenfranchised black and minority voters, and, with the rise of more powerful corporations and elitists, people in lower socioeconomic classes believed that their votes didn’t not matter (Jackson). As we have seen in the “Voting Rights and Wrongs” documentary, today, Americans tend to choose not to vote because of the voting restrictions set in place, disbelief in the election system, or believing that their vote doesn't matter. 

Nowadays, America seems to have lost the spirit of celebrating its democracy, with a voter turnout rate below that of other democracies, even where voting is not compulsory. The timing of Election Days seems to be a culprit, stuck in the middle of a work-week and does not live up to its original purpose of increasing voter turnout. Today, only eight states regard Election Day as a holiday and a day off, some require employers to give their employees some time off to vote, and others, none at all (Jackson). 

One way to encourage more people to vote and make their voices heard is to make Election Day a national holiday or hold elections during the weekend. Today’s Election Day fails to consider existing barriers, such as "enduring long lines, obtaining access to childcare, finding the money to take public transportation to the polls," impacting especially "younger, less educated, less affluent, and nonwhite" busy and employed citizens juggling school or work (Dastagir). In some states, seemingly supportive voting laws fail and cause confusion, like Tennessee, where "employees are given time off to vote unless their workday begins more than three hours after [the] polls open or ends more than three hours before polls close,” a law that fails to be "reflective of people's realities" (Dastagir). Making Election Day a holiday or on the weekend would help lessen this confusion and alleviate any workday worries to those who want to cast a vote. 

Also, Election Day should not only be a holiday in that it serves as a day to vote but also a day to celebrate this civic responsibility, which in turn gives more motivation in casting a vote. It should also be supplemented by other means, such as encouraging companies to allow their employees to vote, providing more outreach to get more people to register to vote, having options for absentee, mail-in, or even online ballots, removing the restrictions placed on voters, and combatting election fraud. Already, companies have helped encourage people to vote: some have given employees a paid full or partial day to vote as a perk, others used their platforms to encourage users to vote, and some ride-sharing companies have given people free or discounted rides to polling places, as they have done this past midterm election. All in all, we need to give people a reason to vote and reintroduce the sense of democracy that defines America as it is. American democracy has come a long way, but until we make voting more accessible and meaningful, it is far from being perfect.


Sources:

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-change-election-day-as-we-know-it/2018/10/27/bed62714-d7bd-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/02/01/election-day-federal-holiday-mcconnell-democracy-voter-turnout-democrats-republicans-voting-rights/2736634002/.

www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/10/22/its-time-make-election-day-holiday-law-spirit/.