Democracy Requires Participation Essay - 1021 Words

An intrinsic element in the success of a democratic society is the willingness of the people to be self-governing. In modern America, to say that we have a government that is for, by, and of the people does not mean that each citizen is autocratic and simply takes the law into his or her own hands, but rather that each citizen has the responsibility to actively participate in this large-scale experiment known as American Democracy. Therefore, the problem of declining voter participation is a serious one indeed. Several reasons for this enigmatic conundrum of voter apathy have become apparent in recent years. In many presidential elections, numerous Americans have found themselves compromising their views and voting not for the†¦show more content†¦nbsp; The Electoral College is an institution of the Federal Government that has outlived its usefulness and should be abolished in order to promote democracy in the United States. At its conception, the Electoral College was considered necessary because it emphasized the rights of individual states and made the process of counting ballots less onerous. In a true federal system, the electorate should vote in national elections as citizens of the nation, as opposed to citizens of their respective states. nbsp; However, the winner-take-all system of the Electoral College that we currently use is not only non-federal, it is undemocratic as well. Since the popular vote is counted in each state individually, and the winner of each state receives all of that states votes, it is theoretically possible for a candidate with a greater percentage of the popular vote to lose the election. The Electoral College effectively renders the votes of the state minority meaningless because the majority receives all of the Electoral College votes, as if the vote was unanimous in favor of one candidate. This is clearly not democratic. If the Electoral College were to be abolished, then all national elections could be based upon the popular vote of the national electorate; a true representation of the views of the nation. nbsp; Our current system of voter registrationShow MoreRelatedIs Electoral Participation Necessary For Political Participation?1538 Words   |  7 PagesDemocracy is the rule of the people, therefore, for it to be at its full potential, citizens must participate in the decision-making process. However, for a large part of the public, political participation does not go beyond electoral participation. Nonetheless, even the most common form of political engagement, namely voting, is in decline (Whiteley, 2012, pp.37-38). Although electoral participation is not the ultimate measure of political participation, it is one of the most significant and easiestRead MoreU.S. Voter Participation Essay1744 Words   |  7 PagesU.S. Voter Participation In a pluralist country such as America, there are numerous opinions over what societys goals should be, and the best method of achieving them. In theory, every American citizen has an equal say in the political affairs of this county. By participating in politics, people air their voices and thereby contribute to nation through representatives, hence the term representative democracy. 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Conclusion â€Å"The essence of democracy is its assurance that people should so respect himself and should be so respected in his own personality that he should have opportunity equal to that of every other human being to show what he was meant to becomeRead MoreAlthough there are advantages and disadvantages to both a representative government and1300 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough there are advantages and disadvantages to both a representative government and deliberative democracy the benefits are largely dependant on the context of policy making and whose interests are being considered. 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