Why do so many Patriotic Americans not vote in Presidential Elections?
There are population statistics for the US which indicates percentage of population by age. You can find these from the Departments of Commerce, Labor and Education, etc. The most recent US population estimate is 306 million. The estimated population of 18 yrs old and older is 236 million. What is known, is that 129,446, 455 Americans voted in the 2008 election. This would suggest that some 100+ million Americans did not vote. The only suggestion I can make for your project is that these are the People that can, and have, come forward, historically, when "Check and Balance" doesn't exist, or when we have a period of inept Government. Perhaps you should study the1980 and 1984 election and the 1994 mid-term election.
Who is not allowed to vote in the U.S. Presidential Election?
Non CitizensThose in HeavenThose under 18Those who live in U.S. Territories (Shame, I know)Those in prison (Unless they are in prison for treason, don't see why they should not vote).If you have been convicted. (I am guessing you know my opinion here, if not check #5).Mentally ill. (That maybe too inclusive - some with “Mental illness” are capable of making a sane decision).Lack of ID - aka those under the poverty lines in some cases.Those who chose not to register.Those who work on the First Tuesday of November and cant have the day off - Yes we still don't have Election Day off.Students - take a look at 10.
Why do so many people not vote in US elections?
The reason people do not vote is because the winner in USA elections is generally predetermined. The U.S. political system is controlled by the rich. The people are generally influenced by their media. The media is controlled by the extremely wealthy. In other words, the extremely wealthy are doing the voting for you, and just creating this game of elections to make you think you have a choice. Democracy is, for the most part, an illusion. No political candidate stands a chance without lots of money. So where does this money come from? Usually multinational corporations. Obviously, once elected, the political stooge will carry out the interests of the rich. This is exactly why the richest 1% of America is getting richer, while Obama is gutting social security, and Medicare. Those who do not get the backing of the rich will never even stand a chance. You may think you have a choice, but whoever is presented before you has already been prechosen by the elite of America. Let's just look at who were the choices last time: Obama, and McCain. Ok, so, supposedly we had a choice right? So let's look at the positions of McCain and Obama: Obama makes the rich richer, tax cuts for Wall Street, corporate bail outs, free trade agreements, union busting, budget cuts, manipulation of the U.S. dollar, funnels money to military contractors, expands the military industrial complex, enacts fascist laws (i.e., militarization of the U.S. border), attacks foreign countries with brute force. Let's now look at McCains policy: free market, pro business, tax cuts for the rich, tax cuts for Wall Street, funnels money to military and military contractors, expands military industrial complex, enacts fascist laws, cracks down on immigrants, attacks foreign countries with brute force, cuts social programs. So as you can see, they are basically 2 of the same. The only difference is maybe that Obama is a better actor, and perhaps this is the reason the oligarchs chose him. No matter who gets elected, the rich, and elite win, while the poor suffer. Those who believe in this corrupt system are usually unenlightened. Democracy is a great idea, but I've never really seen it work.
Does the USA need presidential election reform??? Our system is outdated!!!?
1. should we abolish the electoral college system described in the US Constitution and simply go for a direct vote for the leader of the executive branch? I have no intentions to dismantling the rest of the democratic republic process we rely upon in voting in Congress and other lower level offices, but the electoral college just seems so-outdated and unnecessary. An individual vote is almost worthless in an EC system. Direct elections. One vote per citizen for the President. 2. Iowa??? New Hampshire??? We're relying on two small states to determine a large portion of the USA political future? The president is the leader for all US citizens and should reflect the majority of voters found throughout the land and not two small-time states of little importance. 3. I envy the British and their election process of a Prime Minister. It lasts only a few weeks. For us, it lasts 1 and a half years now!!! It's overtop and wasteful. It also makes us jaded and apathetic.
Why are American voters important in elections?
American voters are important in elections because the constitution says so. Although as originally drafted, the definition of voter was very different then than it is today.The original definition included mostly males with property, which meant we were governed by the economic and political elites of the day. Today, we let men, women and children vote and we are still governed by the economic and political elites of the day.It seems that, even with universal education, we haven’t learned a damn thing in these 200+ years. I think the American public is just to lazy to do the work it takes to have good government.I really like this question because it gives me an opportunity to post my favorite quote from H. L Mencken:“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”H L Menchen, On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe
Why do some Americans not vote?
In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t actually have a democracy here. Electoral politics is largely controlled by the wealthy capitalist elite through the funding of think tanks and candidates, ownership of the media, and so on. The political “parties” aren’t membership organizations. The Democratic party isn’t made up of membership organizations that elect the leaders (in contrast to the UK Labour Party where Corbyn was elected by the membership).Rather what you have in USA are gaggles of entrepreneurial politicians who marshal wealthy backers and build a constituency to get elected — and many become wealthy in the process. Most members of Congress are multi-millionaires.And the laws and constitutional structure make it extremely difficult to break out of this elite controlled box — with a kind of legalized monopoly of Democrats and Republicans. There’s not a system of proportional representation as in Europe where new parties can form and get representation easily.Moreover there’s usually been schemes of voter suppression used to keep the poor and disfavored minorities (blacks and American Indians) from voting. The high point in participation in presidential elections was in the 1950s and 1960s. Things like the Voting Rights Act made vote suppression illegal for awhile, and the working class revolt of the 1930s-40s era had forced the politicians to make many concessions to mass opinion — creating the country’s thin welfare state.During that period as much as 60 percent or more of eligible voters voted in presidential elections — highest vote participation in the country’s history.Over the past 40 years the elite have regained their dominant position and pushed through many changes to their advantage, such as endless tax cuts for the wealthy, higher tuitions at public colleges and so forth. So many in the working class view both Democrats and Republicans as not serving their interests.Studies of non voters show they are poorer, more working class, than voters. This reflects the way the electoral system is skewed to favor elite interests. Surveys of the opinions of non voters show that most of them would like things like a universal health care system such as Medicare for All, “higher wages”, “job guarantees” and so forth. But the Democrats since the ’80s have abandoned working class interests in favor of appealing to the suburban professional-managerial class.