When I was younger and still attending high school in Thompson, North Dakota, my classmates and I were required to take a course called "Problems of Democracy." I didn't fully understand the importance of such a class, perhaps because I was too naive and trusting of our political system at the time. Looking back, it was probably one of the most important classes offered within our school system. As an eligible voter who has participated in a number of grassroots political movements, what I’ve learned is that no political system is perfect despite what your election officials want you to believe.
It is no secret that this election has been the most contentious and unpredictable of our time. With the trading of insults between and within parties, our democracy has been made into a mockery. As the recognizable face of representative governments, the United States is failing to set an example for countries in which we have instituted democracy around the world. The coverage of our election can be likened to a particularly cringe-worthy reality TV show.
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This is not to minimize the history of inequity and discrimination that has plagued our democratic process for centuries. Collectively, we must remember that black people were legally enslaved until 1863, and black men were not given the right to vote until 1869. Voting rights for women of all races followed in 1920. Even then, many southern states implemented a polling tax and literacy tests as requirements for voting, which often disqualified individuals from numerous racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Although there have been a number of (significantly delayed) amendments guaranteeing the right to vote to select groups, not all citizens are protected under such amendments. Contrary to popular belief, there is no explicit statement within the Constitution that gives all persons of age the right to vote. As such, questionable tactics similar to those stated above are still being used to discourage votes from many U.S. citizens. Understaffing polls, unannounced closing of regular poll stations and the purging of voter registrations - nearly 126,000 of them in Brooklyn alone - have all contributed to the suppression of voters in this election season alone.
What many individuals don't realize, including myself until very recently, is that the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee are private organizations. This means that the chairs and vice chairs of the organization can change party rules with little to no warning. This was the case as recently as October of last year, when the DNC changed debate participation rules. It is clear that any candidate deemed "undesirable" who seeks a party's nomination will face an immensely unfair disadvantage throughout the race. What we are seeing in today's political process is simply a veil of deceit attempting to conceal the true intentions of both parties.
This is not the first election, nor will it be the last, where accusations of voter suppression, fear tactics and media bias are prevalent. During the 2008 and 2012 election seasons, grassroots movements within the Republican Party sought to elect Ron Paul, a strict constitutionalist who believed in ensuring rights to all citizens. Many of Paul’s supporters were young people and first-time voters who were witness to dirty tactics meant to ensure a victory for the Republican Party’s chosen nominees, John McCain and Mitt Romney respectively.
Paul’s supporters were met with unique obstacles, including random re-districting of precincts, changes in party rules, and cancelled caucuses to name a few. As a result, many who involved themselves in the political process to support Dr. Paul became disenchanted. This was reflected in voter numbers, as many of Paul’s backers proceeded to write him in or vote for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s candidate in both cycles. In that way, plans of the Republican establishment backfired hugely, and Barack Obama went on to win both the 2008 and 2012 elections by a significant amount.
Widespread fear and slow means of communication often prevented accusations of voter suppression and election fraud from reaching trustworthy and unbiased authorities in the past. Gathering enough evidence in order to prove it was damn near impossible. But now, given advancements in technology, becoming informed is achieved by the click of a few buttons. Marginalized people of all backgrounds have the platform and power to share their narratives via social media. As the modern channel for news, social media allows stories of voter suppression and election fraud to reach every border of our country in a matter of minutes.
Maybe it is this ease of access to information that is putting fear into the political establishment. Or perhaps we are witnessing a collective awakening by the people. Either way, voters in each major political party are questioning the democratic process more than ever. It is time for our bipartisan system to take a serious look at what they are trying to achieve. Is it democracy? Or oligarchy?
