Would the U.S. Be a Better Country if More People Voted? Essay

Voting is a significant process through which people exercise their democratic rights in making collective decisions and expressing opinions following election campaigns. The sole purpose of voting is to select leaders citizens wish to be representatives of their grievances. Voter turnout is the percentage of registered voters who participate in the voting process in a given election. Voter turnout is an essential and useful statistic expressing how engaged voters were during the election. Even though the voting process might look simple, it determines who is elected to take the mandate of a given leadership position. In the United States (U.S), low voter turnout has been rising for decades. The U.S. has had lower voter participation than other democratic and industrialized nations in the twenty-first century. The U.S. would be a better country if more people voted because it would improve policy outcomes, increase representation in government, and enhance equal development.

The American citizens would have experienced and enjoyed significant policy outcomes if more people had voted. Voting signifies and represents the voice and opinion of the people over any government.¹ Many people participate in the democratic right of voting to elect leaders whom they expect to represent issues affecting common citizens. These issues, when solved, become of benefit to the voters and the country. Some policies need to be improved and smoothened in the U.S., which would bring more benefits to the citizens and the entire country. For instance, the minimum wage would have increased if more people had turned out to vote. A comparison study on the minimum wages in states with low and high-class bias in the electorate showed that states with a lower disparity between high-income and low-income turnout had favorable policies for the poor. States that experience low turnout inequality have a higher minimum age than those with high inequality in voting. Further, the Demos report revealed that 78% of the public supported the higher minimum wage policy, but 43% of the wealthy enjoyed this policy.

The economic condition in the U.S. is expensive and requires effective policies that can remedy citizens’ poor living conditions. Formulating policies in the economy is a role that leaders are entitled to defend ordinary citizens. Low turnout in U.S. elections hinders the facilitation of generous public benefits and enhances laws against predatory lending.² Predatory lending policies constituted an important part of the 2008 financial crisis, and its effect still manifests today.³ More than 10 million homeowners owe more on their mortgage considering their home worth. The predatory policy had primarily harmed people of color, who were often singled out for bad mortgages. Research shows that the lower the turnout inequality, the more likely people suffer unequal economic shares due to non-elective positions. The differentiating aspect between voters and non-voters is that non-voters are attracted to huge government programs. According to Pew survey research, non-voters are more likely to agree with the government’s statement. In addition, states that usually have lower voter turnout have lower social welfare spending, and politicians do not easily pass stricter welfare rules.

A higher voter turnout in the U.S. would have promoted increased representation of all groups in the government. The involvement of more people in the voting process leads to improved representation and involvement of people in the government’s affairs with the public. Instances of income inequality have been prevalent in the U.S. among a significant portion of the population. However, this problem tends to hinder the people because they do not defend their voices with a vote. Hendricks (2018) states that everybody’s involvement will lead to the improvement of everybody. For this reason, if more people turn out to vote, they will have the confidence to air their grievances to the leaders they elected without fear. As a result, the U.S will become a better country for its natives and foreigners. In addition, increased representation will be achieved by minority groups when more people vote in the U.S. Minority groups tend to have aspirant leaders who vie for different elective positions. These leaders could be significant in representing the interests of minority groups and other supporters. However, disregarding the voting process would deprive them of an opportunity to garner votes in the contesting position when fewer people turn out to vote.

Further, equal development will be enhanced in every region and part of the communities in the U.S if more people vote. Voting is a sure way that help citizens to suggest implementations of infrastructural developments such as social amenities through their leaders.⁴ For instance, leaders would ensure enhanced, better, and equal access to healthcare. Over the past, the U.S has been rated with higher degrees of prejudices, specifically based on color complexion. Prejudice can be said to have prevailed due to unequal representation that had caused the inferiority complex of the disadvantaged population over the superior advantaged groups in the U.S. However, the solution has always lain in people’s ability to solve instead of blaming the government. Hendricks (2018) states that 5% of the non-voters think that the government has a full resolution to their problem, while the definition of democracy is the rule of the people by the people in the formation of the government. Thus, the U.S would become a better country without reported incidents of development inequalities and prejudices when more people vote to elect leaders of their choice who will have a full reorientation of citizens from countrywide.

Contrary to the popular view of low voter turnout as it is observed in the U.S today, the trend started in the 1960s, as history reveals. People’s participation in voting has increasingly decreased in consecutive elections up to the past polls, which also recorded a lower voter turnout as was expected.⁵ Various reasons can be attributed to the phenomenon of low voter participation in the U.S. general polls. There has been decreased participation in voting due to electoral competitiveness, changes in voting laws, election type, and candidate influence. Party competitiveness causes low participation turnout in the U.S because, in major contests and jurisdictions where political parties are less competitive, people are less likely to vote.⁶ The type of poll causes less voter participation since statewide or federal elections draw more turnout, unlike non-midterm, non-presidential, off-year, and primary ballot votes which attract fewer citizens. Moreover, there has been low voter turnout in the U.S. due to changes and alterations in voting laws. Voters get discouraged by jurisdictive modifications in their voting laws, such as early voting, voter identification, and ranked-choice voting. Demographics issue has further lowered voter turnout because of policy manifestos relevant to different demographics.

Low voter turnout has a detrimental impact on the lives of U.S. citizens as well as other populations living in the country. The citizens tend to suffer when they elect leaders based on partisan grounds rather than delivery grounds.⁷ Low voter turnout in prompts biases in the implementation and passing of legislation. However, this problem can be addressed by implementing civic education, introducing same-day registration, and provision of pre-election day voting.

In conclusion, the U.S would become a better country if more people voted because high voter turnout increases representation in government, improve policy outcome, and enhance equal development. When more people turn out to participate in voting, they express their opinions about their expectations from the leaders they elect. This voice pushes elected leaders to ensure that demands from citizens are achieved and answered without delay. High voter turnout in the U.S will have influenced adherence to the minimum wage. The voice of the people is heard through popular vote in the U.S. because it is a democratic country, and equal representation would have been achieved if many people had voted. Higher voter participation in voting gives leaders higher chances of winning elective positions, which later represent the needs of the people in the national government. The U.S. could have, therefore, realized an equal custom of fair representation. More so, there would have been equal developments in the U.S. if more people had voted. Voting promotes individual development; the more people participate in voting, the more they get helped. Hence, the disadvantaged groups could have elected representatives who could bring developments.

Bibliography

DeSilver, Drew. “In past elections, US trailed most developed countries in voter turnout.” Pew Research Center 3 (2020). Web.

DeSilver, Drew. “US trails most developed countries in voter turnout.” Pew Research Center 21 (2018). Web.

Schafer, Jerome, Enrico Cantoni, Giorgio Bellettini, and Carlotta Berti Ceroni. “Making unequal democracy work? The effects of income on voter turnout in Northern Italy.” American Journal of Political Science 66, no. 3 (2022): 745-761. Web.

Hill, David. American voter turnout: An institutional perspective. Routledge, 2018.

Hillen, Sven, and Nils D. Steiner. “The consequences of supply gaps in two‐dimensional policy spaces for voter turnout and political support: The case of economically left‐wing and culturally right‐wing citizens in Western Europe.” European Journal of Political Research 59, no. 2 (2020): 331-353. Web.

Footnotes

1. DeSilver, Drew. “US trails most developed countries in voter turnout.” Pew Research Center 21 (2018).
2. DeSilver, Drew. “In past elections, US trailed most developed countries in voter turnout.” Pew Research Center 3 (2020)
3. Schafer, Jerome, Enrico Cantoni, Giorgio Bellettini, and Carlotta Berti Ceroni. “Making unequal democracy work? The effects of income on voter turnout in Northern Italy.” American Journal of Political Science 66, no. 3 (2022): 745-761.
4. Hill, David. American voter turnout: An institutional perspective. Routledge, 2018.
5. See note 4 above.
6. David. “American voter turnout,”
7. Hillen, Sven, and Nils D. Steiner. “The consequences of supply gaps in two‐dimensional policy spaces for voter turnout and political support: The case of economically left‐wing and culturally right‐wing citizens in Western Europe.” European Journal of Political Research 59, no. 2 (2020): 331-353.