Voting is one of the most important rights enjoyed by individuals in a democracy. The right to elect the leaders of a country in a fair and democratic process is a crucial part of individual and civil liberties. While the United States should properly by referred to as a republic, it is a democratic republic. Citizens have the right to elect their leaders, or in the case of the President of the United States, to elect the individuals, called electors, who then elect the President. This is the electoral college system. However, the U.S. did not always grant the right to vote on all individuals. In addition, there have been significant demographic shifts in who votes in elections. Therefore, the groups of people who elect the leaders of the U.S. and the cities and states have changed since the Founding Fathers first ensured the right to vote.
In the U.S., citizens are allowed the right to vote. However, certain individuals have lost their right to vote. Disenfranchisement of felons is an ongoing issue in the U.S. Currently, it is up to individual states to decide whether or not they will allow felons to vote. Some states do not allow felons to vote while they are currently incarcerated. However, once the individual is released, they will allow them to vote. This decision is made by the states. Other than that, all U.S. citizens over the age of eighteen are allowed to vote (Lindsay and Glenn 119-20).
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When the Founding Fathers established the right to vote, they limited this right to white males. Women were not allowed to vote. African-Americans, as slaves, were also The Fifteenth Amendment indicated that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (U.S. Constitution). This allowed the former slaves to vote and prevented discrimination for people based upon race. Women, however, were still not allowed to vote. This changed with suffrage, the movement to allow women to vote. The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920. It indicated that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” (United States Constitution).
However, just because people have the right to vote does not mean that they exercise this right, even in presidential elections. Married individuals are more likely to be regular voters than are single individuals. Intermittent voters, or people who are registered but do not always vote, are less likely to trust individuals. They are less likely to be interested in local politics than are regular voters. However, while 91% of regular voters and 76% of intermittent voters are interested in local politics, approximately 45% of those who are not registered are interested in local politics. In addition, people who stay up-to-date on the candidates are more likely to vote (Pew Research Center). It appears that those who have a vested interest in their local community and are more secure in their personal lives are more likely to vote than those who do not.
Individuals who are married may be viewed as having a more vested interest in the dealings of local politics because it impacts their families, rather than just themselves. Also, people who believe that the national elections, such as the presidential elections, impact their daily lives are also more likely to vote regularly. It can be concluded that those who recognize the value of being involved in their community are more likely to vote in elections than those who do not believe they are vested in their community.
- Lindsay, Thomas K. and Glenn, Gary D. Investigating American Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
- Pew Research Center. “Who Votes, Who Doesn’t, and Why.” 18 October 2006. 18 May 2017.
- United States Constitution. 1789. 18 May 2017.
