ure does not necessarily require heavy voter turnout. “Rather it requires an attitude that, if aroused, the people will participate-vote, contribute time and money, organize groups, and circulate petitions-and that elected officials know this (Roskin 113.)” Considering this, do low levels of participation negatively affect our country? Voting is a right, and is not required in the United States. Citizens who vote are choosing to do so because they want their voices to be heard. And in the case of a representative democracy, the people who vote are the ones who believe that their opinion counts, and will make a difference. This concept is the backbone of democracy, and is what our country thrives on. For the most part, these citizens are politically informed and educated. A smaller number of these intelligent voters is preferable to massive numbers who vote just for the sake of voting, and have no idea what issues they are siding with. Essentially the right to vote should not be taken lightly. This act should be done intelligently, not randomly. This brings us back to the idea of facilitating the voting process. Is it really a good idea to make voting easier? We do not want the masses to vote simply because they can easily do so, but to put forth an effort to vote wisely.Many scholars believe that low civic participation is an underlying problem of American social decay. Our nation is too complacent when it comes to political participation. Most citizens are content to sit back and let a few elites decide the direction of our country. The solution is not to just “go out and vote,” but to be an informed voter. The best way to accomplish this is to teach our children civic responsibility. Interests and patterns developed early in life often carry all the way through adulthood. Teaching young people about our democratic system and the importance of their personal involvement yields powerful retur...
