Why is our democracy broken?

[kmetz]

Why don't more people vote?

[philly]

It seems many people have a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to voting. They would certainly cry if their right to vote was taken away.

[BLUEHAWK]

Some thoughts, about voting:

- Roughly 5,000,000+ adult americans are felons, and by 2010 that number will increase to 6,500,000, so it is said. They cannot vote.
- Many young voters have become cynical about the value and power of voting... based upon their perceptions of the conduct of their elders (e.g. LBJ, Nixon and Clinton).
- We are burdened by an electoral college (in the case of presidential elections), and (in many States) by closed primaries. Both of which either nullify or prevent representative democracy.
- Many americans despair that their vote will be superceded, after elections, by lobbyists, special interest financing of campaigns, and a fictitious but all-powerful two-party system.
- Presidential party conventions have become shams, where many people recognize that the decisions have already been made far in advance of the vote, and where each party platform is known to be unenforceable eye-wash.

[kmetz]

I certainly do understand the effect that the Electoral College has on the voting public--it was hard to understand the results of the 2000 Presidential election when the people's vote was over ruled by the Electoral College. It seems the Founding Fathers wanted to fool the Americans citizens by making them think they were voting for their leaders, however, the "Fathers" thought that it was too important a position to be left in the hands of the ignorant public, so they let them think they elected the guys at the top, but the Electoral College had the final say. Remember in the beginning of our country the two top vote getters were President and Vice President. Boy was that ever fun in some instances! :-)

Here's some interesting statistics on voter participation in Presidential Elections from 1824 - 1996.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0877659.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763629.html

Notice the years of low voter turn out! Some of them are quite amazing! What do you suppose was happening during those years that made people apathetic? It couldn't be just the Electoral College. Why do you suppose it was so low in 1942? Did you notice the two years that percentages were so low? The Confederate States did not vote one time (1864) which is understandable. Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia did not participate in the election of 1872--now why was that?