Voter suppression is no surprise in American Government. It goes unseen by most
of the public, or they realize the suppression of voters after the damage has already been
done. College students are an easy target considering many students don’t know as much
as they should know about the American government and its voting process. Why and
how are college students victims of voter suppression and what are the tactics used? It’s
unfair and wrong for political parties, or its affiliates, to sneakily find ways to keep
college students from voting. This political manipulation could strike doubt in the
government’s ability to hold true to its true purpose, which is to establish a government
for the people and by the people. Candidates are allowed to discuss their policies for
OUR government, but turn around and try to keep certain demographics for
implementing their fair say in the election of our political representatives. Political
Parties suppress votes of college students to manipulate the government while
disregarding the young’s input.
Tactics used to suppress college students from voting do not physically keep one
from voting, but are used by creating new laws that would prevent one’s ballot to be
casted. According to the Huffington Post, North Carolina’s college students fall a victim
to voter suppression tactics. Parties implemented ID laws which did not recognize college
IDs as a valid form of identification, nor can out of state students vote without a valid
North Carolina ID. One may use these tactics because 13.7% of college students are out
from out of state and will most likely not acquire a North Carolina ID card.
Also, in North Carolina, polling locations have been strategically mo...
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...s, and minorities are
on a rise in America’s population. As far as college students as a whole, there is a huge
increase in liberal ideology amongst the 18-25 demographic. According to a survey by
Quinnipiac University in 2012, 67 % of people in the years of 18-29 support the
legalization of marijuana, and 63% support same sex marriage. Republicans eliminated or
shortened Early/absentee voting simply because it is used by mostly Democratic
supporters. Republicans have a clear motive for attempting to suppress student voters,
most likely because Republicans fear the loss their footing within in the government and
will undoubtedly attempt to suppress groups with new liberal ideologies. The country, as
a whole, must push for a change in the government election process to where the elites do
not manipulate the very basis that our country is built upon.
The voter ID issue starts with certain laws that, in the US, require that a person show a form of official ID before they are allowed to register to vote. This issue has split both Republicans and Democrats. According to Kenneth Jost, “republicans say [voter-ID laws] are needed to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Democrats say the laws are not needed and are being pushed in order to reduce voting among groups that skew Democratic in elections especially Latinos and African Americans” (Jost, p. 171). Both of these perspectives are valid, and with an open mind, can both sides have important points about the validity and inclusion of elections. On one hand, it is crucial to prevent fraud and keep the elections free of error, otherwise the outcome could be an unfair ruling. On the other side of the argument, voter-ID laws can cause discrimination and prevent people from voting, also
Throughout American History, people of power have isolated specific racial and gender groups and established policies to limit their right to vote. These politicians, in desperate attempt to elongate their political reign, resort to “anything that is within the rules to gain electoral advantage, including expanding or contracting the rate of political participation.”(Hicks) Originally in the United States, voting was reserved for white, property-owning gentleman
Voter Suppression's New Pretext. the New York Times 16 November 2013: A- 19. Print. The.
The issues surrounding the voter ID law have been shrouded in controversy. The voter ID law is a law that require voters to show a valid form of photo identification before receiving a ballot to vote. It has been said to protect the integrity of the electoral ballots, but many feel as though the voter ID law was made to favor those who are more conservative than those who are more liberal in their view on the government. This may be due to the fact that polling stations will only accept valid government issued photo IDs and weapons permits, not including college IDs. This new law also may be disenfranchising towards minorities. Many are calling it a poll tax on minority voters, creating an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote. Others
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
The wave of new voting restrictions passed around the country, mostly by Republicans, after their victories in the 2010 elections. Supporters of the law argue that such restrictions are necessary to prevent fraud. On the other hand, voting law opponents contend these laws disproportionately affect elderly, minority and low-income groups that tend to vote Democratic. Obtaining photo ID can be costly and burdensome because photo ID laws create a new "financial barrier to the ballot box”. It would have prevented hundreds of thousands of Hispanic voters from the polls just because they lack a state-issued photo ID.
Voter ID laws in the United States have begun to create controversy since the beginning of its adaptations in the early 2000’s. Voter ID laws in the United States is a law that requires U.S. citizens to have a special form of identification in order to vote in an election. The idea with Voter ID laws is that the state must make sure that the laws do not pose any sort of burden on the voters. These laws have been proposed in order to stop voting fraud. However, the institution of Voter ID laws has caused trouble in states, including Texas, regarding the various amount of identification requirements needed.
their vote, and a hole is punched into a ballot where the space for the
The "silent majority" of the American people is now accepted as the status quo, the way things always have been and will be. Voter turnout is now the litmus test for political participation. Non-voters are becoming rampant in our democracy, with voter turnout hovering around a low 60% for general elections. At this rate, a candidate would have to win over 80% of that 60% vote in order to have true majority support. Thus, inactivity in voting threatens the very legitimacy of our government. In the recent November 7, 2013 midterm election, a few counties reported a mere 4% of eligible voters actually participated, in some cases to vote for a policy referendum that would aff...
The government also has the right for certain groups to make that ballet harder to cast. The reason that voting rights restriction is so important is because it stops numerous people from voting, a specific group of people were targeted, and the reason the law was made is wrong. The 2016 election will be hit with numerous voting restrictive laws making it harder to vote for the general populous. There are 31 states that enforce government identification cards prior to voting. Around 11% of people able to vote don't have a government identification card, according to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge.
Why We Need Voter ID Laws There have been several occasions throughout America’s history where voter fraud has changed the outcome of an election. For example, “a 2010 Kansas election ended with a one vote margin where 50 of the winning votes were cast illegally by citizens of Somalia (Hans Von Spankovsky).” Another example is when “a 1996 congressional race in California was almost overturned by hundreds of votes cast illegally by noncitizens (Hans Von Spankovsky).” Voter ID laws are a sensible precaution to voting.
Since 1912, only about 50 to 65 percent of Americans have voted in presidential elections and still fewer in other elections: 40 to 50 percent in off-year congressional elections and as few as 10 to 20 percent in primaries and minor local elections, although the exact number depends on how turnout is measured (Greenberg, and Page, 2009). Voter turnout started dropping at the end of the nineteenth century, reaching the 60 percent level by the election of 1912 (Teixeira, 1987). The right to vote, originally quite limited, was. expanded in various historical surges to include nearly all adults and to apply to most major offices. Turnout is lower than it was in the late nineteenth century in the US and lower than in other democratic countries, it has continued to decrease, not including the recent presidential elections (Greenberg, and Page, 2009).
then rely upon the media to get in touch with the largest number of voters
Although there are 44 million eligible young voters ages 18-29, in 2012 only 45% of them voted. These young people make up one fifth, or 21%, of the eligible voting population, yet they often do not vote. Voting is a tremendous gift! Young people in many other countries around the world have to fight to gain this right. In America, voting is often taken for granted by all age groups, but the youth take it for granted the most.
A political party affiliates it’s self with specific views and moral and promises to initiate or support certain legislations to its supporters. When candidates become members of either the Senate or House of Representatives they are morally obliged to uphold these view but are not confined to them.