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The Pros And Cons Of Voter Registration

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In 2012, the year of the latest presidential election in the United States, the population of citizens capable and legally allowed to vote was 235,248,000; however, only 129,235,000 voted, making the voter turnout of 2012 54.9%. This statistic, being only slightly over fifty percent, makes the opinion of the other half completely irrelevant. The outcomes of the presidential election do not accurately portray the opinion of the nation due to the low voter turnout. Due to the lack of time, the complication of registration, and the opinion of voters that their individual vote does not matter, the voter turnout of the United States has been negatively impacted; however, these issues can be resolved through effective means of changing the mindset …show more content…

In everything from apps on phones to car electronics, Americans insist on everything to be as simple as possible. So, when things are not up to those standards, people complain. The Voter Registration process, a major limit to people not being able to vote, can be viewed as complicated. This complication can be eliminated through an increase in online voting and voter registration. By casting an online ballot and registering electronically, the complicated process of voting in booths and the anger causing length of lines is eliminated. This new process could lead to increased internet traffic which impacts the speed and efficacy; however, the internet errors and delays will and can be detected and mended faster than a voting poll machine breaking. One simple website with the input of a social security number and proof of identification would allow citizens to partake in voting without feeling like it is overcomplicated. The security of this website would be very high guaranteeing to the citizens that their information would be kept …show more content…

Even though the citizens do not vote up to global standards, they participate in other means such as voicing their opinions. These low voter turnout stats may be altered using a compulsory vote law, national online voting to eliminate complications and hassle, and increasing the education about the government process of elections of citizens to prove that everyone’s vote does matter. The suggested solution that would have the strongest impact is the compulsory vote law which requires citizens eligible to vote to participate in the voting and election process. Through these suggested solutions, the causes of not voting, lack of time, the complication of registration, and the opinion of voters that their individual vote does not matter, will be eliminated and the voter turnout will raise to acceptable standards and enable the candidates to have full citizen

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The general perception of voters is that they are ill-informed and ill-equipped to vote on complex measures. Nonetheless, Ethan Rarick argues that voters generally act rationally and that they “rely on cues such as endorsements from people or organizations they trust to make their decisions.” (143). By providing more information and resources to voters, more constituents will be able to vote wisely and

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Hasan Ibrahim GOVT 2305 Professor Moore 29th November 2015 The America Votes Act of 2015 “The America Votes Act of 2015 allows qualified voters who do not have identification documents required by their state to sign a sworn statement authenticate to their identification in order to cast a basic ballot at the polls.”

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We often assume that the reason behind the low voter turnout in the U.S. is due to institutional challenges (i.e. voter ID laws, registration, costs). Therefore, reformers most often focus on offering and improving various forms of convenience voting to increase turnout. Skeptics such as Graeme Orr argue that “voting whenever, from wherever, is a ‘lifestyle’ option.” Another skeptic, Adam J. Breinsky, argues that convenience voting has “perverse consequences on election reform” and that encouraging political engagement is more valuable than pursuing institutional changes. Although convenience voting offers flexibility and comfort, it is imperative not to overlook what Election Day is supposed to be: a communal event.

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Every citizen has the right to vote, but not everyone does these days. It’s important that all people vote in the country and compulsory voting will assure that, because voting is not just a right, it’s a responsibility like Jury duty. Throughout the history voting laws had changed from time to time and from country to country and till now 30 countries around the world had used compulsory voting and got effective results and their countries developed due to good elections that were built in people’s opinion. Voting is considered like paying taxes nowadays, even though it is a responsibility and a duty for them to do towards their country, some people support it and others don’t. The advocates of the compulsory voting argue that

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Another solution to the low voter turnout would be to allow citizens to cast their votes online. Although this is susceptible to fraud, they can limit the votes per person by only allowing one vote per IP address or by issuing each registered voter an account login. This method would allow people to cast their vote in a matter of minutes at their own time. The last suggestion that could increase voter turnout would be removing the registration process to vote. Younger voters are not familiar with the voting registration process or they think it is too complicated.

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We pay our bills online, order groceries online, book a doctor’s appointment, make banking transactions, fix our car ride, and more. But we are yet to vote for the elections from our smartphones or iPads, isn’t it? By 2025 that should change. World governments are keen to implement online voting.

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However, one of the key characteristics of a healthy democracy is a high voter-turnout. If people do not turn up on Election Day, it is likely that they do not see the point of holding elections or the conditions are not suitable for them to vote. People vote because they believe that their vote has the power to make changes in the country. Voter apathy often develops when voters do not see voting as a way of voicing their concerns. America therefore continues to tread on risky ground, if a way of increasing voter turnout is not found.

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