One year removed from the election fiasco that threatened the legitimacy of our democratic process and seemingly defined President Bush’s term before he was even sworn in, there is one question remaining – “Does anyone still care?”
The problems faced today internationally and domestically should not be glossed over. These are unstable times and the methods used to restore balance are of the utmost importance. However, the cracks in our democracy displayed in the final weeks of last year cannot be left on the shelf to collect dust. As a nation, the pride in our democratic system is the justified result of two centuries in which America served as the foundation for democratic expansion worldwide. To ignore the events of last November will allow the corrosion of our democracy to continue.
This is not a political argument. Bush’s presidency received a second life over the past months. His legitimacy and ability as a president can no longer be questioned. Current events demand American loyalty. While Bush’s legacy was able to breach the adversity of his election, the nation as a whole cannot.
Florida’s voting discrepancies were not an isolated incident. The margin between candidates forced the nation to magnify Florida’s insufficient standards, but this type of variability exists nationwide. Uniform voting procedures must be introduced to ensure against repeating the subjective guesswork needed in recounting the Florida ballots. A single system, perhaps more technological or even computerized, but most importantly, standardized, will reinstate confidence into the electoral process.
As the election night coverage began converging on the pivotal vote in Florida, the media’s weakness in televising modern day elections was displayed. In a nation that does not know the meaning of “waiting,” the mass media outlet television provides became an instrument that catered to the public’s desire for immediate news rather than facts. The system backfired on election night. The premature announcements of Florida’s vote were not fact-based, but developed from each network’s exit polls. To prematurely declare a winner trivializes the presidential election into a statistical guessing game.
The detrimental power of exit polls is their undesired effect of acting as propaganda. Viewers on the West Coast have three hours to cast votes after voting stops here in the East. Undecided or uneducated voters can be influenced by the exit poll results on the East Coast. The media should withhold exit poll results and the actual vote count until all voting stations nationwide are closed. Even then, more caution must be employed to avoid the rush to judgment that plagued Florida’s vote count.
The unacceptable decrease in voter turnout cannot be overlooked. Over the past centuries the luxury of a democratic vote has broadened to include women and African Americans, for what? To give a voice to more of the nation inherently strengthens our political system by providing a broader consensus. Today, Americans have forgotten this crucial element of democracy. True, our political foundation remains intact, with only half of all possible voters participating in elections, but it is weak, and it is slap in the face of democracy to assume that this lackluster participation will suffice.
The easiest way to highlight the importance of federal elections is to make voting day a national holiday. Our democracy’s main competitor is the capitalist drive that many individuals improperly place above their duty as voters. To nullify this competition, all businesses, schools and public offices should be closed so that the citizens of this country are forced to recognize their duty as members of a democracy. Any inconvenience or damage that businesses feel are inconsequential in light of the history of this nation, which shows that the growth of our markets and the financial opportunities in this nation are directly related to the past wisdom of our politicians. Basically, the sacrifice of a single workday to restore a healthy level of participation in elections is well worth it.
Finally, there is the notion of mandatory voting. The apathetic or politically disenchanted individuals are not only ignorant, but are taking advantage of their position in this country. They liken the democratic process to a game in which they are the spectators. Democracy is not a spectator sport. People who fail to understand this should accept the idea that like all games in this nation, there should be a fee to attend and watch. You cannot take yourself out of the game because you do not like the game plan. The resolution of national decisions is a burden every American citizen equally shares. To abandon your role as a citizen in a democracy is selfish and detrimental to yourself and every other American.
The creation of a network between the IRS and the Voting Commission in which a penalty for not voting would appear as a percentage increase in federal taxes gives a financial incentive to voting. If the mere weakness in our democracy is not enough to motivate the apathetic, I bet an attack on their wallets will. Honestly, it is sad how a nation that never stops preaching its democratic superiority can act so irresponsible as to allow the source of its pride to corrode beneath our very own eyes. Last year’s election was a wake up call. If Americans decide to hit the snooze button and ignore these issues, the democratic process we take for granted will continue to erode.