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| Photo Credit: Joyce Hesselberth |
Link to additional voter fraud article:
Older voters have the highest turnout rates in the United States, but they face physical barriers in the process of voting. Although states that generally adopt new regulations for voting are cautious of voter fraud, that myth has been debunked. However, the new regulations require a photo ID and sometimes access to polling places. For the elderly, who generally do not drive and, therefore, will not hold a valid driver's license, the regulations stand as legitimate obstacles. Furthermore, older people have less mobility, and while voting areas are supposed to be accessible to all, especially those with disabilities, the reality is that the requirements are not enforced. Consequently, voting is deterred. Because the elderly tend to follow a certain voting pattern, if they are physically unable to do so, the votes will "skew Republican."
For a group of people that legislation will significantly impact, it seems morally questionable to place additional barriers. If people have a genuine desire to vote, but are physically unable to do so, the representative democracy in practice falters because it becomes even less representative of the population.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are your thoughts on the voter turnout? Are the voting regulations in certain states significant barriers?
2. Should states ought to be allowed to place stricter voting regulations, even though the argument of voter fraud is invalid?
3. Do these voting restriction hinder democracy as a consequence? Why or why not?
4 comments:
Since the Declaration of Independence states the government gets its power from the "consent of the governed"- aka voting- I think voting is one of the most important parts of a democracy. Voter turnout averages at about 60% of eligible voters in presidential elections, and about 40% during midterm elections. I think that one of the reasons our voter turnout is so low is due to the barriers and regulations people face. In many states, voting isn't an easy process for everyone, as is described in this blog post. I think it is important to regulate voting, but those regulations need to be revisited and changed so they don't discriminate against certain groups. In addition, I think all states should have the same regulations because they are participating in national elections that include the whole country.
I believe that these regulations will do nothing but harm our democracy. While there is some fear over voter fraud, it is so minuscule that states should not be as adamant about it as they are. It is a valid concern, but not enough to devoid others of their power to vote. By putting harsher regulations on the IDs used and other things that are not universal, it makes the voting process unequal and invalid. Everybody has the right to vote, but some states are taking away that right to fight a problem that is not nearly important enough. I agree with what Kaitlin said about states having the same regulations in order to insure equality in the election process.
In 2016, the Pew Research Center ranked "the U.S. 31st out of 35 countries for voter turnout based on the voting age populace, among the mostly democratic nations that are a part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development." Because our voter turnout is already dangerously low, I believe the restrictions placed upon the elderly voter population are oppressive. The concept of suffrage becomes meaningless if it cannot be made accessible to citizens. Thus, states ought to roll back their policies aimed at voter fraud, even if reduced turnout was just an unintentional consequence.
The United States already has a low voter turnout compared to other countries because of a variety of other factors, so if citizens are trying to encourage more people to vote, it has to be much more accessible than it is now. Technology has greatly impacted the younger generations, and it has made us lazy to have the initiative to get up and go vote. With an already lazier generation, putting more regulations on voting will discourage even more citizens to vote and it takes away from the accurate democracy of America. I agree with Kaitlin's point that all states should have the same regulations in order to ease the process and make sure that everyone can participate equally.
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