Civic participation is essential to the overall health of our nation. A citizen being involved in the government dates back to the origins of our country and have withstood the test of time. Today we are facing record low civic engagement that has created a breeding ground for disgust and distrust between the citizens and the government. The gap between government decision makers and society is growing daily and change is needed to bridge this gap immediately. Many people feel as though they are not represented by the government as a whole or by their elected officials. Government outreach is required to increase civic engagement in the democratic process. • When looking at the state of our country it is easy to see the gap between government and …show more content…
This means the need for government outreach is even greater. There is a need for voter reform to engage more people to participate in elections. This includes reducing obstacles to registration and education on voting process so that there is more civic involvement (Comstock-Gay & Goldman, 2009, p.64). There is a need for the executive branch to create a position whose sole focus on civic outreach to ensure that all areas of the government are implementing and executing steps to increase civic participation (Comstock-Gay & Goldman, 2009, p.65). An open government that has transparency enables the public to begin to regain trust in its elected officials. This position should be involved in organizing community forums, where people come together to work towards solutions on issues that are important to everybody. When you allow people to work together you find that people are more likely to view issues as a whole and to work together for a solution (2009, p.8). This can help break party lines and allegiances that seem to separate us when we are not both invested in finding a