Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Why is it important to vote free essay sample

You cant win if you dont play. Election outcomes are determined by those who participate. Elected officials make important (often life and death) decisions about how our society will expend its collective resources and the restraints it will place on individual behavior. The drinking age, the age at which you can get a drivers license, and the amount of money your teachers receive are some of the decisions made by elected officials. In making those decisions, elected officials respond to people who bother to vote more than to those who abstain. Voting does not guarantee that ones preferences will prevail, but choosing not to vote denies a person one of they key tools of having a say in a democracy. Importance of Voting Choose Your Government This is the most obvious advantage of voting. Voting allows you to choose people you want to represent your community in the governance of your country. The winning party will govern your society and will be answerable to you. With the democratic process of voting, a balance in power can be maintained between the governance and the people. Hence, you must cast your vote for presidential elections as well as local body elections. Investing in a Better Future The objective of a government is to draft and implement various policies for the betterment of its people. From taxes to road-building, everything is decided by the policy makers that you vote and help win. The policies enforced by your chosen representative may force you to anything from a change in your daily route to an additional tax. Dont you want someone who is going to have this much control over your life to be just the right person for it, and dont you want to do your best that the one you want is the one you get? A Hard-earned Privilege The freedom to choose your own administration is one that characterizes democracy. It defines every revolution. It is a right that has been earned through the hardships suffered by past generations, quite possibly including your very own. Its a right that marks democracy apart from other modes of governance. It has to be cherished, not discarded. The above are just few of the reasons why people should vote. Voting is one of the easiest ways you can voice your opinion in a democracy. It gives you a chance to choose your own leaders and make them accountable for your development. What Is the Importance of Voting in America? By Kent Ninomiya, eHow Contributor The importance of voting in America cannot be overstated. The United States is a constitutional republic. Americans democratically elect their leaders, who in turn represent them in the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government. Some of our leaders also have the power to appoint other leaders to certain offices. Our leaders make, enforce and judge laws that impact our health, religion, money and freedoms. Many of these issues are also voted on directly during elections. It is therefore important to vote to have your say about what happens to you. Significance Every vote has significance. Several elections have been decided by a single vote. In other elections, the vote was tied and the winner decided by a coin flip. In a close presidential election, the winner is actually decided by a small number of voters in swing states. The 2000 presidential election came down to a handful of ballots in Florida. Considerations There are many issues to consider when casting your vote. Choose your leaders wisely. Politicians make laws protecting and restricting social freedoms. They determine the legality of issues like abortion, capital punishment, gay rights, civil rights and religion. Chief executives appoint judges and justices. The right to have an abortion comes down to a very slim majority vote on the U. S. Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices serve for life. A president you elect today may appoint a justice who decides American social policy for a generation. Our leaders also decide policy on issues like national security, civil liberties and the environment. If you care about these issues, you must vote. Benefits Many voters who care little about social issues care a great deal about their financial benefits. The politicians we elect decide how much we pay in taxes and how that money is spent. Bond issues and propositions on the ballot determine whether your property taxes or sales taxes will rise. Health care, Social Security and defense spending are enormous financial strains on our economy. Vote for leaders and measures that will spend money the way you want it spent. History A lot of blood has been shed through American history so that you have the right and privilege to vote. Many people sacrificed and worked tirelessly so that women, minorities and adults younger than 21 could cast ballots. Soldiers and civil rights workers died fighting for your right to vote. You owe it to them to exercise your civic responsibility. American soldiers are still fighting and dying in wars. Vote to choose leaders who make military decisions you agree with. Potential It is important to vote for Americas future potential. Ballots you cast today will impact your children, grandchildren and all the generations that follow. Vote to improve the world they will live in. Voting also sets a good example for your kids. If you dont vote, you have no right to complain about the way the country is being run. Why should you vote? Your vote counts! Learn why. In some countries, citizens are fined if they don’t vote! Some Americans think that’s a good idea. Why? Because the right to vote is one of the basic rights guaranteed by our Constitution. It is one of our most precious rights. OUR RIGHT, BUT NOT EVERYONE’S RIGHT There are hundreds of nations in the world. Only a fraction of these nations are democracies or constitutional monarchies. (A democracy is a nation headed by leaders who are elected by the people. A constitutional monarchy is a nation that is headed by a queen or king, who may not have much real power, but which has free democratic elections for all citizens. The United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands are prime examples. ) Only part of the world’s population enjoys the right to vote in free democratic elections. Nations such as India, Israel, the Czech Republic, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and the European Union countries are democracies, although Canada and Australia still have some political ties to England. Nations such as Turkey have some democratic freedoms and some non-democratic restrictions. Many nations are monarchies, in which one family controls the government; military dictatorships, in which a non-elected leader and his army control the government by force; or, in the case of China, Communist states, in which only one political party is allowed to have power and representation. In all of these non-democratic nations, the government controls the press, and there is very little opportunity, or none, for free speech. Citizens are not allowed to publicly express any criticism of their government. The most basic rights that U. S. citizens take for granted, such as a speedy and fair trial by jury, and freedom of religion, are not recognized in these non-democratic nations. If they have elections at all, they are usually a sham. Only a few candidates are listed on the ballots, and those are for local office. The people do not get to choose their leaders. The United States is not the only democracy in the world, but it has been one of the most successful. One reason for its success is its system of laws based on the Constitution. Our Constitution allows for the possibility of change in the way we elect our leaders and representatives. But some basic rights are written into the Constitution, and as long as the United States thrives, these rights can never be taken away. One of the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution is the right to vote. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is a very important right—only if YOU use it. Your vote is just as important as the President’s! If you don’t vote, you can’t participate fully in the democratic process. If you do vote, you are a participant. If you don’t, you can only be an onlooker. MAKING CHANGES: THE FIRST STEPS Throughout the history of our nation, changes have been made by those who organized, networked, joined forces, and expressed their opinions openly, whether or not they could vote. In many cases, public opposition was stubborn and violent. Suffragists (advocates for women’s right to vote) had to endure many injustices—when violent mobs smashed in and broke up their meetings, or getting arrested for demonstrating, for example. The Civil Rights Movement for African-Americans met seemingly unbeatable and vicious opposition. A number of civil-rights activists and leaders, black and white, were murdered. Yet the justice of their causes prevailed. They helped extend Constitutional rights and protection to those who had been denied those rights. These battles for justice were won by those who cared enough about the possibility of social change to get involved, to speak up, and even risk their lives. You don’t have to risk your life to participate in making changes, though. Voting is one way that all U. S. citizens, ages 18 to 108, can speak up. If you have never voted before, but are interested in registering to vote in the next Presidential election, we say, â€Å"Congratulations! That’s great! Let’s do it! † Once you learn how to do it, you will have a sense of satisfaction, knowing that you are participating in an important part of being an American citizen. Registering to vote is the first step in an exciting adventure. This what we hope will happen: * Because you want to be an educated voter, you will learn what you can about the candidates, the issues, and the differences between the parties’ stands on the issues that are most important to you. What do you care about? Legislative funding and support for schools for the deaf? How the candidates feel about mainstreaming? Literacy classes for deaf adults? Getting more Deaf candidates into office? Getting more sign-language interpreters at public events? More police departments learning how to communicate with Deaf people? What Deaf people can do for the environment? Do your representatives know how you feel about these issues? * You will become more interested in following news about proposed Constitutional amendments,different interpretations of the Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases. You will follow, with new interest, the progress of the Presidential campaigns, and coverage of the national party conventions. * You will vote in your state’s primary elections. * You will contact your local, state, and Congressional representatives and express your views to them. * You may even want to volunteer to join the local campaign committee for your favorite candidate. Even if you can’t use the voice telephone to make calls on the â€Å"telephone tree,† there is much that you can do. And if your candidate wins, you will participate in the victory celebration, knowing that you helped make it possible! You will see, through your own experience, that one person CAN make a difference. Even if your favorite candidate loses, you will have had this valuable experience, and we hope that you will want to stay involved. * You will have the satisfaction of participating actively in the democratic process, and seeing how it works on a grassroots level. Someone who doesn’t bother checking the news, doesn’t care about the election, and doesn’t go to the polls to vote loses out on this. * You can become a smarter, better-informed citizen. You can even help make history!

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