Who are America's average voters? Well, they may not be what
you think. Let's discuss.
Who votes: The primary people who vote are
actually senior citizens. Partly the reason why seniors vote more often
is due to the fact that they no longer have to work. The next segment is
people who have some sort of vested interest in the outcome of the election.
Basically, people voting for selfish reasons like party politics or free
healthcare (the false premise of Obamacare). What remains are those who
believe it is their patriotic duty to vote, or those who have
"chosen" to vote in this particular election. You are probably
wondering why I worded the previous sentence the way I did. Well that is
because in a non-presidential election (like 2014's) approximately 30 to 35
percent of the country actually voted. In a presidential election you may
go only as high as 50% if you are lucky.
Those who do not vote: Well, this group has their reasons.
Some are being responsible due to them not knowing who the candidates are
for they do not pay attention to politics. Others don't like the
candidates who are running and thus get discouraged. There is also
another group who find it hard to go to the ballot box because of work and
family commitments. Of course there are dumb ones who do not even know
when Election Day is. I think you get the idea.
Conclusion: So all in all, America's future is
only being decided by typically less than half the entire U.S. population.
If this seems unfair, then you do have a point, but you cannot force
people to vote if they choose not to. It is their choice. Probably
the only way to increase voter turnout for the working class is to make Election
Day on a Saturday and make it an official federal holiday. However, the
day change would require a constitutional amendment, and the federal holiday
would only apply to government offices. Though I guess some is better
than none in this case. But the truest way to increase voter turnout is
to teach in schools what our Constitution says and the underlying philosophies
that led to its creation while combining it with first hand historical accounts
to demonstrate the founders reasoning for including what they did in a document
that is held so sacred to the people of the United States. It is a rough
battle to get people to the polls, but I think it is worth it.
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