In his essay "Justifying Democracy" he acknowledged that "…the values and goals I advocate and hope will prevail will always be strongly contested" (Dahl, 47). He goes on to say that he is not at all confident that his values "…will necessarily predominate," but they will not become reality "…if those who believe in these goals fail to support them as best they can" (47).
Certainly his goal for a fair and just America does not include support for the draconian policies put forward by those who seek to limit the voters purely out of a corrupt passion for power. That having been said, every sincere leader of every democratic state should have as a top priority the desire to make democracy work for all citizens. Every leader should also root out tactics that are clearly deceptive, illegal, and undemocratic.
Among the tactics that go against democracy and against what Dahl advocated are those employed in Florida during the presidential election of 2012. To wit, a new study shows that "…tens of thousands of people were actually discouraged from voting" due to the long lines at polling places (Terkel, 2012). Why were there long lines that kept people standing in line for up to nine hours? The answer is very clear. The Republican-controlled legislature cut back the number of days that had been available for voters who wished to vote early. In 2008, Florida had established 14 days for early voting, but in 2012, Republicans were apparently desperately trying to get Mitt Romney elected and they knew that the majority of people who vote early tend to support Democrat candidates. Hence, they reduced the early voting opportunities to 8 days.
Moreover, they shortened the number of hours available during those 8 days, and according to Theodore Allen, associate professor industrial engineering at Ohio State University, who conducted the research, "…as many as 49,000 individuals in Central Florida did not vote because of the problems at the polls" (Terkel, p. 1). Black and Latino voters were "…disproportionately disenfranchised," Terkel explains, using Allen's data.
In conclusion, it is indefensible to have some states in the U.S. deliberately suppressing people from carrying out their Constitutional right to vote. It is also unconscionable that politicians can use tactics that are frankly undemocratic and borderline evil and get away with it. Dahl's idealistic view of democracy notwithstanding, American...
Voting Behavior Suffrage is an integral component of every American citizen's democratic rights and the law has given it top priority. But realities such as the difficulties encountered from the registration phase to the voting phase, emphasis on registration as a bureaucratic task, predispositions, election-specific forces and other determinants of participation have resulted in unclear and inconsistent pattern of voting behavior and inconclusive turnout and voting choices. Political scientists and thinkers
Even in the 2008 general election, which had widely-touted voter turnout, a number of eligible people did not vote. Michael McDonald engaged in a complex study, which not only looked at people in the population who were age-eligible for voting, but also looked at the number of people who were not otherwise disenfranchised, such as felons or foreign nationals. He found an overall turnout rate of truly eligible people
Ethnic groups such as Black people and Hispanics, and also women, had to fight for their right to vote. The many fighters who suffered and died during these struggles should be honored by using the rights that they won. It is not a right that should be taken for granted. The news is filled with reports about countries where the right to vote is almost mythical. Women are oppressed, ethnic
Voting According to recent statistics, America has among the lowest voter turnout of any democracy in the world based on participation in presidential and mid-term elections (Anderson, 2000). According to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate (CSAE) over the last three decades, voter turnout has declined dramatically resulting in a series of historic lows. One of the main reasons for this sad decline in voter turnout is the
Voting Rights History of Voting Rights in the United States and African-American Struggle The ultimate end of all freedom is the enjoyment of a right of free suffrage. "A WATCHMAN," Maryland Gazette, 1776 (qtd. In Keyssar 8) Voting is the most important process that allows the general public to communicate or refuse to give consent. During the mid-1770s, an innovative epoch began when Americans challenged the Britain's right to rule the colonies. The American
S. House of Representatives from that state. Why set up a presidential election in which voters do not directly elect the president? Welch (32) explains that the founders devised this system "…because of their view that the people could not be trusted. The people were seen as an unruly mob threatening stable, orderly government," she continued. Even after Gore successfully petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to have election officials count
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now