Voting Rights Essay

Voting Rights Essay
Protecting the Vote
Is voting important to you? As a member of the most influential democracy in the world it should be. Voting in the United States matters enough to
some citizens that they have thrown their lives into making it to the ballot box. One of those people is Congressman John Lewis. As a young man
Lewis was a leader of the 1960's fight for African American voting rights. In the third volume of his graphic novel March, Lewis, with coauthor
Andrew Aydin and illustrator Nate Powell, documents that fight and the subsequent signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Act, which instituted
Federal oversight of elections in areas notorious for voter discrimination, was repeatedly renewed until 2013, when key parts were struck down by the
Supreme Court. Because it limited the ability of a number of states to enact their own voting laws, removal of the Act has led to the institution of new
laws requiring certain forms of identification at the polls. Although there are dissenting voices that vehemently protest voter ID laws as discriminatory,
they are in reality a reasonable and efficient measure which serves to protect the integrity of the American vote.
Since 2013 a number of states have enacted voter ID laws, the intent being to protect the truthfulness of the vote as an accurate representation of the
will of their citizens. For any American the right to vote should be seen as a sacred privilege, and the carrying out of that privilege a solemn duty.
Voting is the
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Internet Voting Essay
Introduction
Internet voting is a relatively new concept that entered the circulation of debates and discussion about implementation, as the millennium approached.
The practice of internet voting has been implemented in certain countries and jurisdictions, in hope of creating modern voting system that will reach a
wider range of voters. Online voting is perceived to appeal to the youth vote and allow individuals with mobility barriers to cast their ballot more
independently. However, many of these perceived benefits are not proven and an array of counter evidence has been presented in studies of the regions
who practice internet voting. Despite the perceived advantageous of Internet voting, the associated risks and issues in...show more content...
However, as mentioned in the introduction, not all of these perceived benefits have been evidently proven. Moreover, internet voting creates other
issues, regarding security and lack of accessibility to certain groups.
The Relationship Between Internet Voting andVoter Turnout
First of all, there is little to no evidence that internet voting increases voter turnout. In the past few decades, there has been a downward trend in the
turnout of youth voters. In the emergence, of Internet voting, experts theorized that this new type of voting would appeal to millennial voter's due to
their perceived familiarity with the internet. However, through the Independent Panel on Internet Voting (BC), no substantial evidence can be used to
support the argument the Internet Voting will increase voter turnout.
The lack of evidence the Internet voting does not increase voter turnout is not reliant on a lack of research, but an array of research that reveals that it
does not have a significant impact. In a study of the use of internet voting in the two Swiss Cantons of Zurich and Geneva, researchers found that there
was no correlation between Online voting and voter turnout. In the election under study, voters were given the option to vote online, visit a polling
station or use the Swiss postal system to cast their ballot. However, despite the presence of the internet option there was no special allure to that
specific option. Moreover, the

Persuasive Essay: Voting In The United States
I am going to be voting in my state's primary in a few day's and I'm not sure who to vote for. I cannot stand Donald Trump's antics so I will not be
voting for him. This leaves me with two possible choices; Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. I know that Bernie is very left but I know that change
is needed today in America. I also know that Hillary is "fighting for us," but she only recently changed her view on LGBT laws. If anyone could help
me decide who to vote for, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in

Persuasive Essay Voting
The United States uses a voting system to allow it's citizens voice to be heard and have an influence on politics. When a person turns 18 they are
considered an adult and also gain the privilege to vote. There is some belief that including more people in voting would benefit the nation more
because it would lead to a more accurate representation. So the article talks about different perspective on allowing people who are 16–17 years of age
to vote. People who are under the age of 18 should not be able to vote because their unknowledgeable about how politics works, the age group has one
of the lowest voting rate, and they don't have enough perspective. So people of the age of 16 or 17 they are not yet prepared to take on this
responsibility and wouldn't be able to carry it out.
A person who is in the age group of 16 to 17 would be enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade meaning they have not taken a government class or are
currently enrolled in one. Students don't take a government class until their senior year of highschool. People need to learn how the government
works before they are able to vote in order to make the best decision based off their political perspective. So say a person who falls into this group is
voting and filling out their paperwork they're not going to understand most of the term or what choice is best for them. Voting is used to get statistic of
what the nation wants in politics so why let someone who doesn't know anything about politics vote if they're

Essay on Electronic Voting
Electronic Voting
Gunmen on the grassy knoll, AIDS, landing on the moon, chemtrails, UFO's, CIA mind control and Waco are some of the well
–known conspiracies.
But what about George W. Bush's re–election? This cynicism goes beyond political rhetoric and focuses on our ability to participate in a representative
democracy. Developed by the ancient Greeks, one of the first voting systems involved dropping bronze disks into barrels. As technology progressed, the
advancements in voting systems surrendered an unacceptable system that lacks accuracy despite public outcry for a paper–verified trail.
A voting system has four characteristics: accuracy, anonymity, scalability, and speed. Currentelectronic voting machines claim to...show more content...
Definitely not perfection, but within acceptable limits if the story ends there. Nevertheless, it does not; the results plagued counties all over, especially
the deciding state of Ohio. John Kerry demanded a recount in Ohio, but refused to emulate the "hanging–chad" crises of 2000.
A recount of votes in Maryland could only consist of re–reading the smartcards, even if the DRE recorded the vote improperly; there is no way to
verify their accuracy. Avi Rubin (2004), a Computer Science Professor at Johns Hopkins University, notes on his weblog how he had many chances to
manipulate the outcome at his voting poll. At one point, he held the entire precinct's smartcards allowing him to swap them or damage them. This
assumes the DRE recorded the votes properly, which cannot be determined without Diebold disclosing source code for the machines. After other
groups across Maryland mirrored Avi's findings, hundreds of people testified in front of the Maryland General Assembly demanding a vote–verified
paper trail. At each hearing, security experts testified about security concerns and the need for open source software. This objection to current standards
sparked legislation requiring a voter–verified paper trail in the last two legislative sessions. In spite of the bill passing the house and the senate without

Argumentative Essay : Why Everyone Should Vote?
Argumentative Research Paper: Why Everyone Should Vote?
Voting is a vital portion of conducting everyday life. Americans have more freedom than many other people in countries around the globe; therefore, it
is pertinent to express that freedom in many ways. Up until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, many people of color, gender, and
all other classifications in the United States fell under one umbrella: not having the ability to vote. (massvote.org) As far as Americans having the
ability to vote, 218,959,000 people have the eligibility to vote as of August 16th, 2015. Out of that significantly large number, 146,311,000 are
actually registered to vote. (statisticbrain.com) This large gap in people with the eligibility to vote, and actual registered voters, is very alarming. As
an American, it is the right and duty of a citizen to exercise all attainted rights by voting in all elections, even if the favored party seems to lose to no
avail. (theodysseyonline.com)
Having the ability to vote gives a person the right to have a say in their government. High gas prices, high taxes, and many other problems that
Americans face; can be avoided by electing certain leaders in political office. Every vote cast on a ballot counts, and also makes a difference in the
election. In United States history, there have been significant events that have occurred in which one vote could have changed history. In the
Presidential Election of 1960, one vote would have made Richard

Persuasive Essay On Voting Rights
Losing your civil right to vote due to a felony conviction diminishes your citizen status within the United States. The right to vote regardless of race
or gender has been a significant struggle that was won in the 1960's. This accomplishment gave every citizen the equal right to vote. However, most
states follow ancient times when felons are involved by stripping them of their voting rights and other civil liberties. Over time, people who make bad
choices either learn from their mistakes or keep reoffending. For those who learn, we should not have the right to continue with perpetual punishment
and reinforcing recidivism in a human being trying to making changes to their lives. The penial systems are not set up for rehabilitation, they are
helping to reinforce that bad choices are forever unforgiven. The restorations of voting rights are essential to a United States citizen, regardless of
choices citizenship will always be attached to your person, thus punishments should cease once the imposition of sentence has been completed.
"Felonies are legal distinctions reserved for serious crimes versus lower–level offenses called misdemeanors. But over the years, many nonviolent acts
have been classified as felonies." Over time our laws have increased to demand citizens to conform to what government believes an upstanding
citizen should illustrate. However, the consequences for law breaking citizens are continually attached to their daily lives after punishment has
been served. Concrete barriers have been placed before felons supporting the bad choices this community made to label them felons because these
barriers push them back into the life they know rather than the life they want or should have. One of the main pushes after incarceration is
employment, but it is a catch because a lot of professions do not hire convicted felons; without a job living conditions are at a minimal, essentials to
everyday life can be microscopic thus stealing, robbery, or breaking and entering would seem as a quick fix for daily essentials like food. "Prison
reform advocates said the biggest barrier to helping former inmates find jobs is getting employers to accept someone with a black mark on their record
among their employee

Persuasive Essay Voting
Voting for something or for someone in a big or small range cannot only affect you but, also other in a huge scale, even the whole country or world.
Although people take it for granted, voting is a system, whose certain leaders and decisions and decided based on the population choice. However in
some cases this doesn't apply such as in the electoral college, and therefore not voting or making the wrong choice within the imprecise popular votes
and electoral vote ratio, it can actually make a big difference in many aspects. So not a single system is perfect with a voting candidate decision
system, it will sometimes, or even always fail. Therefore voting not only involves the dragging numbers to a point where a candidate can win even if
most population hasn't voted or is against it, but also the self decision on which how those numbers would drag, towards whom and the aftermath of
your single vote, especially in the USA voting system the electoral college.
The Electoral College is the current voting system of the USA to choose the president and the vice president. However the winner is not decided by
the popular vote, but the electoral vote, which are the state representatives, 100 senators, two per state and 435 representatives and three electors,
making about 538 of the votes, so therefore, the popular votes then turn into electoral votes. However with this system, the numbers aren't relay derived
in terms of the popular vote, although if a state doesn't give to a

Voting should be an obligation not an option
Living in America gives each person individual freedom. The freedom is yours to express your own opinion and to vote. Whether or not we choose to
exercise these rights is the decision that every American citizen makes. Participating in our government is the single most important power that we as
Americans have. Whether it is to elect officials or to amend a law,voting is not only a necessity, but a responsibility. It is frightening how many of us
today have closed ourselves off from the so–vital process of learning about candidates for office and making our voting selections based on actual
information (as opposed to sound bites and attack ads) and/or not voting at all.
There are many...show more content...
Currently, there are 17 states allowing certain elections to be held by mail. As of today, there are 27 states that offer "no–excuse" absentee voting,
allowing any registered voter to request an absentee ballot without requiring that the voter state a reason for his/her desire to vote absentee. (Wendy
Underhill)
If you are not going to participate in electing the officials, then you should not have the opportunity or privilege in criticizing how they do their job.
Some people argue that non–voters do not vote because they are happy with the government. This does not seem to be the case. The 1996 National
Election Study showed that nonvoters were less positive than voters.
There are a variety of characteristics between nonvoters and voters. Citizens with a college degree are more likely to vote than people without a
college degree. Older people are also more likely than younger people to vote. Polls show that young people are more dissatisfied with the
government than older citizens are. Then why don't younger people vote? Some do not vote because they do not know who to vote for. A quarter of
nonvoter's will lie on polls saying that they did vote. If you are going to be ashamed by not voting and afraid to tell someone why, then you should
vote. It is very simple. Democracy is starting to be weakened by low turnout at the polls. Steps need to be taken to help

Essay About Registering To Vote
The process for registering to vote may sound complicated since not everybody is devoted to politics. However, registering to vote is actually not
as complicated as it seems. Many people do not realize that registering to vote brings more benefits such as to serve jury in a court and to elect the
representatives of the country. The biggest benefit it can bring is that it allows people to become engaged in politics. To begin with, if a person is not
familiar with the different methods available to vote than the internet should be used as a vital tool to research information. The internet offers a
variety of resources to guide a person in the process of registering to vote. After searching a person can find the multiple formats...show more content...
A person will receive a registration certificate, that will include a precinct number that would notify one in what area they can vote. A person's
residence is located in a specific precinct within the county where you are designated to vote on Election Day. The day you go to the polls to vote,
one must show an acceptable form of photo ID. There seven types of Photo ID that can be presented to vote such as a Texas driver license issued by
the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS, Texas personal identification card issued by DPS,
Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS, United States military identification card including the person's photograph, United States citizenship
certificate containing the person's photograph, and a United States passport. An election official will match your name to the official list of registered
voters. If one loses their certificate, one must let their county Voter Registrar know in writing to obtain a new one. One is going to automatically
receive a new certificate every two years. (Vote Texas.Gov, n.d., retrieved March 19,

Why Voting Should Be Mandatory
Voting plays an important role in the modern lives that can easily shape the whole world. While some people believe that voting should be voluntary, I
believe that voting should be mandatory for more social benefits. This essay will discuss the reasons why voting should be compulsory. Selecting the
right candidate is hard and need more people to participate and to achieve that all citizens need to voting and select the future leaders to benefit
themselves and their country. By adding the voting as mandatory will ensure more responses and also keep the country on the right path. For example,
In the United States, the recent studies conducted by various governments show that twenty percent only of the population gave their voting voice in the

Voting In Voting
Being able to vote is a privilege that has been granted to us at the age of 18 for over 40 years now. Although 18 year olds and above are granted the
opportunity to vote in something that can make a difference in politics not everyone takes the time to participate in voting. Most of the voting has
been done by older people because they have had more experience and interest in politics. With that being said I think the more realistic decision to
make is keeping 16 and 17– years olds from voting until they reach the age of 18. On November 13, 2017, Annys Shin published an article called
Takoma Park 16–year–old savors his history making moment at the polls. In that article Shin explains that in the Montgomery County has been one of
the first communities to allow 16 and 17–years olds to vote. The student that have been elected to vote felt important and special for being able to
have a say in votes at such a young age. For those who weren't chosen might of not had a problem with it simply because they weren't interested. Even
when they teen reach the age of 18 the first thing they think about is not running up to a poll and vote, they have money other ideas then waiting so long
to go to the polls and voting at the first opportunity that they get. We cannot be more excited to have the 16–17 year olds vote then they are themselves.
If they are not eager to vote at 16–17 then why even have the idea to push them to be hungry to vote and be involved in politics. The teens that

Voting in America Essay
Voting has not always been as easy as it is today. It is interesting to examine how far America has progressed in its process of allowing different
types of people to be able to vote. Voting was once aimed at a particular group of people, which were white males that owned their own property.
Today, most people over the age of eighteen can vote, except for the mentally incompetent or people who have been convicted of major felonies in
some states. The decline of voter participation has always been a debate in the public arena. According to McDonald and Popkin, it is "the most
important, most familiar, most analyzed, and most conjectured trend in recent American political history (2001, 963)" The question is, how important
is voter...show more content...
In the article "The Myth of the Vanishing Voter" by Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Popkin, it is argued that the decline in voter participation in
national elections since 1972 is an illusion created by the Bureau of the Census because it uses the voting–age population to calculate voter turnout
instead of calculating the population of citizens who are eligible to vote (2001, 963).
The most important factor to evaluate if voter turnout has decreased is calculating and constructing the turnout rate, "when it equals the total number of
votes cast divided by the eligible electorate" (McDonald and Popkin 2001, 963). This means that researchers rely upon the Bureau of Census statistics
of the voting–age population (VAP) for the denominator. According to the Bureau of the Census, the VAP includes people ineligible to vote. This
group of people consists of noncitizens, felons, and the mentally incompetent. The voting–age population also fails to include the citizens who are
living overseas whose votes can count. The inclusion of ineligible populations in the VAP creates a negative skew to the data used to calculate voter
participation. This, in turn, would make voter participation appear to be declining more than it actually is since, according to McDonald and Popkin,
the population of those ineligible to vote, like noncitizens and felons, has been

Voting Behavior Essay
Less than 50% of eligible voters will turn out to vote at national elections, and at the local elections there are less than 25%. There is a correlation
between voting behavior and the demographic of those voting.
Typically, people ages 30 to 65 have been the most likely to vote in the past years. This is in great cause due to this age group being the most
politically active. People in this group are more likely to have established homes, steady jobs, and part of the community. They have stronger incentives
to be involved in what can affect their lives.
Younger people ages 18– 24 have been less likely to vote in the past due to lack of interest, money, or time to go. Also, they just had a lack of
information so they just didn't care to have...show more content...
Women have exceeded the turnout rate of men in presidential elections since 1986. They believe that this is due to the prominence of issues important
to women, such as abortion, education, and child welfare.
When it comes to race we have come a long way for voting rights. Since the voting barriers have been eliminated the African American citizens vote at
least as often as white citizens with the same economic status. African Americans are more involved in politics than other minorities in the US and
have the highest level of voter registration and participation. The Latinos only average about 49% of eligible voters to vote. One of the big problems
for them is the language barrier, but with the Latino population increasing there is a rise of Spanish campaigning being done alongside the English.
Religion is a big motivator for whether or not people are voting. When there are big issues on trial that go against your beliefs there is a greater desire
for you to voice your opinions and be heard. Voters that identify with Christian rights have a higher turnout rate and vote more frequently since there is
almost always a religious issue up for

To Vote, Is That Really A Question?
To Vote or Not to Vote, Is That Really a Question?
Are students properly informed in political areas? The question abounds while adults worry about weather students will vote for political views or
weather they just agree with Bruce Springsteen. Astin says that "A democracy works only to the extent that the voter is well informed"(Astin 97).
Astin believes that the only way to have a properly functioning democracy is to have informed voters. This is the question of the day, why people
vote, weather its for actual political views or for the sole purpose of agreeing with someone else.
For the most part students that want to know about political views are fully aware of the goings...show more content...
Another problem with today's elections is the candidates. While I'm, not saying that this ever was the case, neither of the candidates' people look at In
this election are just great men. Both of the men have made mistakes, and have poor records, weather its Kerry's war protests or Bush's poor
reasons to go to war. The problem is that in today's media the voter doesn't hear everything they need to know about the issues, because as Astin
knows all too well "Negative campaigning rules"(Astin 96). In today's elections its not a battle of who has the political opinions that match the
voters', but who has lead a less malignant lifestyle. Presidential elections should be about the issues, while Bush's war in Iraq seems to be all a
load of crap that he initiated for cash, and he supposedly has so many monetary ties with the Bin Laden family, yes I've seen Fahrenheit 9/11 and
Michael Moore has created an atrocity that rotted every cell within my brain. I believe the war was a good thing, if nothing else to keep terrorists off
of American soil. The terrorists that threaten America weren't just going to take a break and wait for us to respond, we needed to take action, and
Bush took action. While people say he had improper motives I think he had a good one, and that was keep them

Voting Essay
Voting is a right that has long been fought over; it has taken countless reforms, amendments, and societal changes to make our country's great
democracy what it is today. The time has come again to make a much–needed reform in voting policies by lowering required age. Sixteen–years–olds
should be permitted voting status for numerous reasons including their access to the same rights as older adults, previous success this policy has
carried in other areas, and the full cognitive and reasoning development in these older teens.
To start off, sixteen–year–olds are permitted nearly the same rights as older voters in every case except for voting. According to an article on teen
voting, "People under age 18 have the ability to win a Nobel Prize,...show more content...
"In 2013, Takoma Park– a small, progressive enclave in a suburb of Washington, DC – became the first city in the US to lower its local election voting
age to 16. In Takoma Park, the turnout rate for 16– and 17–year–olds not only exceeded that of every other demographic in the city's 2013 and 2015
elections, but nearly quadrupled the overall average." (Crockett) Because of the age requirement decrease in this area, votes increased significantly.
Contrary to popular assumption, younger teens value being represented. Moreover, other countries have implemented this process with great success;
"Internationally, at least 20 countries allow citizens under the age of 18 to vote. In Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, and Nicaragua, 16–year–olds regularly
contribute to the electoral process. In Greece and Indonesia, 17–year–olds can vote in national elections, and in Israel they have the right to vote in
municipal contests. Recently, 16–year–olds in the Scotland election had a 75 percent turnout rate – higher than voters three times their age." (Crockett).
Through this evidence, it is obvious to see that lowering the voting age would be a step in the right direction for this country's democracy.
Certainly, some critics would contend that teens are immature and uneducated about electoral processes and do not have sufficient skills to make
critical decisions, but they are ignorant to the fact that their claim is not

Voting And Voting Behavior
Introduction
Throughout the world, scholars of political science have tried to introduce different approaches on how to analyse voting in democratic states. This
helps not just to analyse election results, but also to predict future moves of the key agents in elections. This includes political parties, politicians,
interest groups and voters. Different models reache from sociological to psychological as well as from economical to candidate–focused approaches
(Hague and Harrop 2013). Hence there is a general argument of which theory is most sophisticated and enables us most to understand voting
behaviours.
This essay seeks to explore to what extend the Downs model of voting helps us to understand, in which ways political parties align themselves in
general elections. Political parties shall be seen as Вґa team of people seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining votes in a duly constituted
electionВґ (Down 1957, p.25). General elections shall be defined and restricted to democratic elections and the state level, which are held within
periodic intervals to determine its government. Due to the limitations of this essay, this shall be restricted to a two–party system and illustrated by
certain examples during both the 2008 and 2012 Presidential election of the United States of America.
The Downs model of voting, introduced in An Economic Theory of Democracy (1957) by Anthony Dows, develops two main hypotheses that (1)
`parties act to maximise votes` (Downs 1957, p.

Voting Essay
Voting allows the voices of the people to be heard. However, this has not always been a privilege for everyone. Voting first happened around 1776.
When the right to vote was first given to the people, only white landowners were allowed to vote. By 1788 slaves were counted as в…— of a person.
The Dred Scott v. Stanford court case ruled that slaves are property and have no rights. "A black man has no rights a white man is bound to respect."
This ruling increased tensions leading into the civil war. This deprived African Americans even more to the right to citizenship. The 15th amendment
was ratified in 1870, which granted black males the right to vote. When the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920, all citizens were allowed to vote
regardless...show more content...
Votingis supposed to allow everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion, but with these new laws, such as presenting a photo ID, everyone is not
getting a say so, so the votes aren't accurate. The new law of having a photo ID to vote also affects transgenders. Many people who have transitioned
themselves haven't updated their ID and have a picture with their original sex. Those who transitioned have no documents or records with their current
gender listed. This new law makes it harder for them because their information isn't updated, and because of this they aren't allowed to vote. This also
makes the votes inaccurate because there are about 25,000 transgenders who aren't getting their say so.
The government is trying to cut early voting, which plays a part in voter suppression. Early voting allows those with disabilities and those who
have jobs get their votes in while they have time and before the lines get to crazy. Cutting early voting leads to longer lines, which may cause
fewer people to vote. Many people leave in frustration due to how long the lines may be. Since 2011 various states have cut back on voting due to
politicians leading these attempts for supportive gain. In 2012 Florida cut voting down from 14 days to eight. In 2013 North Carolina cut voting
down from 17 days to 10. Based on statics between the years of 2008 and 2012 around 70% of blacks took advantage of voting early. In

Essay On Voting Rights
Without a doubt voting rights have grown since their first implications in the beginning of this democracy. In the beginning the only person who were
able to vote and be part of the government were white protestant male. However, that would of course change after the Voting Rights Act that was
signed into order by President Lyndon Johnson that would remove discriminating factors used on African Americans due to the fact that it was
unconstitutional under the firth–teen amendment. Some of the discriminating factors that were used were laws passed on by the jim crow laws that
included literacy test, or trick questions that had to be answered as well as poll taxes all which kept the lower class and minorities from having a vote in
what they believe in. However, minorities were not the only ones left outside of the voting precincts women would also not have the right to vote until
the women's suffrage movement that would lead into the 19 Amendment which gave everybody a right to vote regardless of gender. Although, this
was a merely 90 years ago in the 1920's which is a considerable small amount of time considering our form of government isn't that old. Even with
all these ratifications of forming new laws to make everything equal regardless of race and gender there are still a problem with voting in today's age
although the problems rely more on the technology being used, the access into the polls, as well as a variety of choice in nominees
There has been various problems with

Voting Rights Essay

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Voting Rights Essay