Texas
Government is a required class in all Texas
colleges. Yet people still don’t seem to
care about the government in Texas . In the 2012 presidential election, ~58% of
the registered voters voted, while in the 2010 Gubernatorial election, only 38%
of the registered Texan voters showed up to vote. These numbers are even smaller for Primaries
and Constitutional elections.
Why do
people register and then not vote? Even in the 2012 election which was the best
case scenario, 42% of people registered to vote didn’t show up to the
polls. You would think people who
registered would go vote, otherwise why even bother registering. I could understand people just not being able
to get to the polls in time, car problems, and sickness, but I don’t think
there would be quite that big of a percentage of them.
Numbers pulled from the Secretary of State website: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/70-92.shtml
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/12/the-states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-turnout-in-2012-in-2-charts/
(All the numbers that I’m finding for the 2012 election are different from the
SoS numbers: http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012G.html
)
This Article is very sad in the sense of how many people do not vote for elections. I strongly agree with the point that you made about someone not wanting to vote because they think that some other person will just make up the vote for them. I believe that many people just dont care about politics and the government the way that they used to. I remember learning in American Government that as an American voting in the presidential election, we have more of a chance to win the lotto than we do for our vote to matter. As a citizen wouldn't that make you feel like voting would just be a waste of time? I feel that in any election we are always just voting for the less of the two evils. I wish that us American's where able to matter more, and our votes really count. The sad part is that in local elections we are able to have more of a voice and play a bigger part in the outcome, but I feel that people are just so tired of the way that big national elections go that they have just given up on voting all together.
ReplyDeleteAs far as registered voters not voting is another story. I feel that registering to vote os made so convenient that there is no reason for anyone not to register. I mean the people literally come to your school,work, neighborhood, registering voters. I believe that if they made this much of an effort to actually get "the vote" the percentage of people who voted would be dramatically higher.
It is indeed very sad to look at the data in reports about voter turnout in Texas. To re-iterate the question that Mr. Bainter proposes "Why do people register and then not vote?" one could come to a simple conclusion and state that: People, just don't care! It’s a sad truth, but people just don't have the time to go out and learn everything about their local or state or even national government. I have to say that I’m a prime example of one of those people whose registered to vote but don’t do so. We, as a society, are too brainwashed by all the advertisements surrounding us. We are constantly thinking about only bettering ourselves and not about bettering our society. I due digress that I'm making blanket statements ,but we have to be honest that this way of thinking can be seen in the general public.
ReplyDeleteThis situation reminds me of something we discussed in class that our professor proposed. If only we had some simple program on our smart phones that would say "yay" or "nay" on legislation bills being pass, maybe voter turnout would go "through the roof." Another way to solve low voter turnout is to make voting a fad or something that’s consider "cool." The current generations of people of today are so into what’s trending in society. Why not trend voting? A silly thought, but maybe it could work. Or maybe there needs to be a law stating: you MUST vote or suffer a voting tax. Absurd, right?! Who knows the proper way of solving this? My point being is that we need to continue to look at different ways of increasing voter turnout.
I agree with Mr. Bainter’s comments about the “Someone else will do it” syndrome. Even if we are well versed in government its matter of convenience for most people. A person can say that we’re just to “dang lazy” to get off our couches and go to our local elementary school and vote. There just needs to be another incentive to vote, instead of “Well hey, I’m registered to vote…I’m going to vote!” or the feeling of patriotism like for example,“I’m a citizen of this great state of Texas, so I’m gonna vote!” Like I always say in my blogs, it’s up to the citizens to elect legislators who will to create laws that will benefit the society. Its up people like students of government classes to band together and make a change. Speak about voting. Support voting. Do voting.