With 60% of Americans not participating in elections how can we improve voter turn out?

Question

When more people vote for American Idol than our President we have a problem!

Answer 1

Install the voting machines at Wal-Marts

Answer 2

Simple answer, get rid of the Electoral college.

The Electoral college was created soon after the country was founded for two reasons. First there was not a way to successfully campaign and get all of your information out to everyone in the country. So the common voter had little idea who the candidates really were. Secondly, our forefathers did not think that the common voting man was smart enough to pick the next president.

Wikipedia says this about the Electoral college: "An electoral college is a set of electors who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect someone to a particular office. Often these electors represent a different organization or entity with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way. Many times, though, the electors are simply important persons whose wisdom, it is hoped, would provide a better choice than a larger body."

We've fixed the communications problem, and yet the Electoral college is still here. Do politicians still think that the American people are not smart enough to pick who will lead them?

The Electorates have no obligation to go with the majority of a state's votes other than to keep their job. There have been a few times in which the popular vote picked a different president than who was actually elected.

So I believe that until we disestablish the Electoral college and stop insulting the intelligence of the American people, we will continue to see small turnouts at the election booths.

No matter how much 'Rock the vote' or other such campaigns tell us how we can make a difference, the vote of the masses means very little while the votes of the few make or decisions.

Answer 3

You are assuming that more participation is a good thing. Sadly, most Americans are too ignorant to vote responsibly. People vote for American Idol because they watch it all the time and know all about it. Very very few pay attention to politics, issues, and any information of substance. Do we want people voting when they are ignorant of the facts and issues?

If you want more paricipation, then make voting an entertaining game show like American Idol. However, if you want educated and responsible voting, then we should require passing a test as a requirement to vote. This would result in less participation, but in better voters.

Answer 4

That's not a fair comparison... the American Idol vote count was for all candidates. While that was more then the vote for any single US President in history, the total votes in 2004 was nearly double the 2006 final vote for American Idol. Also keep in mind that a lot of those Idol votes were coming from people under 18.

As for getting more participation, just do what the other countries do... slap a fine on those who don't vote! Granted, much of that additional vote will be people throwing in just some name to avoid the fine and I'm not sure you want those "I don't care who I vote for I just have to vote for someone" votes in there.

Answer 5

Actually, that logic has a problem.

First of all, you can only vote once for the president, you can vote until your fingers bleed for AI.

Second, you can vote for AI from the comfort of your couch. For president you actually have to register, drive somewhere, stand in line, get told you are in the wrong place, drive somewhere else, stand in line, show id and then vote.

I'm curious how your "facts" would stand up if people had to go through that for AI and could only vote once. I'm betting not so good.

I still agree with your overall point though- more people need to be involved in our countries politics. And the president is WAY more important than AI.

Answer 6

I'm not sure it can, or even should be, improved. There will always be a segment of the population made up of lethargic, uninformed and uninterested citizens. They only care about what they're doing this coming Saturday night, or the big football game on Sunday. They don't care how government works and they don't spend a great deal of time contemplating anything other their own self-centered interests. I suppose they don't really understand that politicians DO have a direct influence on their lives and their own interests.

Personally, I'm glad those people don't vote. They wouldn't know what they were voting for anyway.

Answer 7

Well first, I am sure you would have to have a system in place to insure fair and honest elections, where every eligible vote counted. Remember school elections, now that was politics, elections just are not what they used to be.
Make it a national paid holiday. You only get paid if you have a voucher that you voted.
Have candidates and commercials only about the issues. I just listened to a Jenifer Grandholm commercial that was paid for by Dick Devos. It never mentioned him. Just how bad she is. She will have one just as bad before it is over I am sure. But it does turn people off of voting I am sure. Give out I voted signs to put in your front yard. People tend to keep up with the Jones's that is for sure. And finally become involved attend a political rally, put a campaign sign in your front yard. What ever that you can do to get out the vote.

Answer 8

Simple, we do what the Aussies do. It's called Compulsory Voting and it demands that every citizen has the CIVIC DUTY of casting a vote. If you neglect this duty you wind up paying a fine. The main reason for this was low voter turn-out (sound familiar?).

If you consider that they had 90% (!!!) voter turn out in 2004 I think that it is about time we looked into this method over all others.

Got a problem with that?...

Answer 9

Voting has become a joke. It matters not which candidate gets elected the outcome is still the same. They want MY money, they want to control MY life, the want to control MY business, so on and so on. To vote means you accept this BS and are part of this BS. What we need is a complete overhaul of the system. We have the technology to count every vote, the electoral system is obsolete. Good luck removing that one...LOL never happen to much power and corruption at stake.

Answer 10

Get rid of the two party system. Replace our current "first past the post" electoral system with another system, such as instant runoff voting or the single transferable vote, that encourages multiple parties, instead of just two. Also use proportional representation, so that representation in the legislature matches the support of political parties in elections, rather than on simply who wins the election.

Answer 11

It has to become important to people. If they feel that they aren't heard, or it doesn't matter, then it's no wonder the 'system' has turned people off.

Talk to friends, insist they vote, hear their arguments. We have the government we have BECAUSE so few vote. People aren't taking the time to listen to issues, they listen instead to headlines.

Dive deep into the topics that are important to you... and tell your friends too.