During the 2016 presidential election, only 55.4 percent of eligible US citizens voted. This number is the lowest in twenty years. Other democratic countries, such as Belgium (89.4 percent), have much higher voter turnout rates. More citizens must vote in elections (both presidential and more local levels) so that the results of those elections, and therefore the members of our government, are more representative of the population of the United States.
I am very concerned about this problem of a low voter turnout rate because the rate makes us look less democratic as a nation. However, I am now working to change the way citizens think about voting. Also, if I were in a position of power in government, I would have many ideas for the future and how we can allow more Americans to vote legally.
Many positive changes occur not in the White House, but on Capitol Hill with the United States Congress. That's why, before the midterm elections in 2018, I was looking for a candidate for the US House of Representatives that would like more people to vote in general. When I was working on the political campaigns of Haley Stevens and Andy Levin (for House districts 11 and 8 respectively), my task was to travel through many communities and convince people who do not vote in the election to vote in 2018.
While my work with the campaigns are over and Andy Levin and Haley Stevens are now members of Congress, I still have recommendations on how we can increase voter turnout. If a person says that their vote is not important, I recommend that the politicians mention the various events in US history when a very small number of votes changed the whole country's future.
For example, in 2000, George W. Bush won the state of Florida, and therefore the entire election, with only 537 votes. Also, it is important that candidates educate citizens about how they can register to vote in their states. In addition, it is imperative that candidates and political activists notify potential voters that they must bring an identity card so they can enter polling stations during election days. When I was working for Andy Levin and Haley Stevens, I was happy when people who had not voted before promised to vote because now they know the rules of the election.
In addition to my efforts to increase the number of voters, I want a government that allows more people to vote as well. Currently, we do not have such a government. Our current president does not want to increase the number of voters, because he won the 2016 election without a majority of the popular vote.
If I were the president of the United States, I would eliminate the laws that restrict the ability to vote in elections. It will be very difficult to increase the number of voters unless many laws and regulations in the country change. Therefore, it is important to destroy voter identity laws in states such as Texas that discriminate against people of color. Also, there are many states in the U.S. that have laws that prohibit felons from voting forever. If I were a governor of a state with these laws like Wisconsin or Virginia, I would remove those laws immediately because felons who are not in jail are citizens and deserve to vote. Also, if I could make the rules in a state with very low voter turnout levels, like Hawaii, I would pass policies like "motor-voter" registration so that more Americans want to vote because they do not have to register and are automatically registered when they get a license to drive (St., 24/7 Wall).
It is true that there is evidence that voter turnout increased during the midterm elections in 2018, but, now, we can not be sure of a positive change as more information appears (Garza). I hope that more people will vote in 2018 than in 2016. However, to obtain optimal electoral participation, we have to change repressive laws and convince more citizens to vote. I am waiting for the day that voter turnout in the United States is the highest in the world, but there is a lot of work that we have to do before we can get to that day.
