Electoral Politics

As the elections are taking the forefront of our news, we are forced to take a close look at our election system.

First, the primaries. Candidates within the same party battle each other, using up all of their energy so they are helpless when they get to the general election.

Then, one person from each party, debate each other, trying to get people to vote for them. They fight with everything they have left and bring a lot of emotions into the election. It is a guarantee, that everyone will get hurt in the process.

Finally, the worst part of our system-- the electoral college. After the state has voted for who they think would be the best president, all our votes are rounded into one, giving one candidate the electoral votes for our state. This system was originally founded to equalize the power of the different states based on population, but when Al Gore lost the election to George Bush after winning the popular vote, we can clearly see that this system no longer works for our country.



Another issue with politics in general, is that people get so emotional with the issue, it brings out the worst in people. Huge arguments happen, most of which don't end pretty. People get upset about things they have very little control over.

We do everything in our power to have a president who will represent our country, but in reality, many people do not vote. In the 2000 election, only 54 of the voting-age population actually showed up at the polls. This means that one candidate only needs 28% of the countries approval to win the election-- and that's if you win the popular vote, which really isn't that popular. George Bush didn't even get that many votes. Almost 500,000 more people voted for Al Gore, than for George Bush. How does he represent our country?



As soon as someone becomes part of the presidential race, every aspect of their lives are now in the media. They don't have privacy any more. Things that aren't any of our business area all giving candidates a reputation that they don't deserve. What restaurant they choose to eat at has nothing to do with whether or not they are going to make good political decisions.



What causes people to vote, or not to vote? Many people feel it is their duty as citizens to vote, and others feel that they are making a difference. I personally feel that it is very important to vote, and the more people who vote, the more accurate the results are. People who choose not to vote do so for many reasons. The population of our country is about 300 million people, so what does one vote do--a lot! Everyone has one vote, and each of these votes add up to decide who will represent our country for 4 years. That's a long time, and a very good opportunity to make some really bad decisions.

The percentage of people who did vote went down in 1920, from 79% to 49%. Some of these drops in numbers had to do with the poll taxes, literacy tests, residency requirements and annual registration, all of which are obstacles designed to keep African Americans from voting. Since then, the number of voters has been relatively low.



In general, our political system has many flaws, but there are also some good things about it that some of us take for granted. We do have a say, and we do get to vote. Even if people have doubts about whether or not it counts, we do get to voice our opinions in the election each year. Our system has served us well for 200 years, but it is time for a few changes to be made. Voice your opinion, rant about what is wrong, but still be greatful for what our country has done right.