Joshua Arenas & Jayvelle Galloway
RESULTS:
Facts about registration laws, earning the right to vote, and voting in the past versus today can be found in the article “United States Voters in the U.S”. Citizens cannot make impactful decisions when they are not aware of a candidates ambitions. Ms. Maxwell expressed the history that voting equality endure when the right to vote is not given to anyone. Hochuschild, author of Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy, found that the importance of knowledge in a democracy because knowledge is power. The ignorant voter will always outnumber the knowledgeable ones, if the public is not educated in political news. The internet is a big influence that greatly impacts any ones decision if they are apart of any social media websites.
CONCLUSIONS:
Nowadays, finding unreliable sources of political news increases, and the majority of the articles and blogs etc. are only about big elections while local elections are overlooked and labeled “not important”. Outrageous candidates gain more media time, so the media influences voting habits. Knowing how to vote is a major problem, and the right to vote is taken for granted. Community decisions are made by the few who vote. U.S. citizens’ participation in political elections local, state, and nationwide is very poor in many states.
In today’s society, ignorance is bliss, people do not realize the impact of their votes and the future they create. Every vote counts, therefore U.S. citizens need proper voter information.
DISCUSSION:
Research showed that most voters are not making educated votes. Since the U.S. is a world power, our voting habits can impact other countries. With all that power why is it being given to citizens who for the most part are making uneducated decisions? The most significant findings revealed the reason(s) voters elect a candidate and their information sources. A higher percentage of voters vote for a candidate due to popularity or dislike their opponent. Most voters make their decision while disregarding the candidate’s actual policies.
REFERENCES:
Gewurz, D. (2012). What voters know about campaign 2012. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Beaumont, V. (2014). Harvard students take 1964 literacy test black voters had to pass before voting – they all failed. Addicting Info: The Knowledge You Crave. Web. 07 July 2016.
Hochschild, J. (2010). If democracies need informed voters, how can they thrive while expanding enfranchisement? Election Law Journal, 9(2), 111-123.
"This Graph Is a Terrifying Representation of the State of Politics Today.” (2016). National Youth Survey Report. \
Maxwell, K.J (2015). Voting. The New Book of Knowledge