What We Must Do To Achieve Our Democratic Ideals

Ohio is the latest in a string of GOP-controlled states that are pushing for tougher voting restrictions nationwide. These tough new voting restrictions, including photo ID laws as well as an end to same-day registration, have already been signed into law. However, they do face one more obstacle. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit claiming these laws discriminate against minorities. This is true, but it is only part of the problem. If we take race out of the equation you will find that besides minorities, these voting restrictions will affect primarily middle/working class, women, and thousands of college students nationwide. In other words, these restrictions largely affect people who vote Democrat.

Democracy, by definition, is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or indirectly through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that money is speech and corporations have the same rights as people, it is more important than ever that everybody has a say. Our democratic system was built on this principle. It was founded on the fact that everybody must be involved for it to work properly. By restricting people access to one of the pillars of democracy you are doing more than restricting voting; you are restricting democracy.

You would think a true democracy would be set up so that it would be as easy as possible for everybody to be vote. In parts of America, that is not the case. In many states, it is easier to purchase a firearm than to vote. Then, if you do finally get the proper documents you need to register, the act of casting a vote may be the most troublesome part. This is because the election is held on one day, a Tuesday. Since this is the middle of the work week, it is not always easy to find what could be up to four free hours in most people’s busy schedules. Not many jobs let people take time off to go vote, and with a half-hour to an hour lunch break for most employees, this does not leave enough time for them to wait in line. The voting areas are still open after the regular workday, and that would work for some, assuming they don’t have kids or a family to take care of. This makes it nearly impossible for most working class people to vote during the hours voting is allowed.

If we wanted to make this a true democracy, which recent political actions make me doubt, we should make it easier for everybody to vote. One idea would be to take election day, a one day event in the middle of the workweek, and extend it to a two day weekend. This would make it easier for millions of people around the country to cast their ballot. It would make it so that some schools don’t have to cancel for the day to be used as a poll location. It would be a step toward insuring that everybody gets to vote. We could even make it a national holiday.

The first Tuesday in November of even numbered years was chosen by Congress as the day for national elections 1845. This was due to the fact that we were an agrarian society, and it sometimes took farmers more than a whole day to travel to the polling places. They made it on Tuesday so the trip would not interfere with Sunday mass. Since most people now live within walking distance of the nearest polling place this is not an issue. I understand that it is now tradition, but some traditions must be broken.

In these days of waning democracy, it should be our top priority to ensure everybody their most basic rights. Democracy cannot work or be effective if only the rich and powerful have a say. It must be the voice of “We the People” that decides who our leaders are. It is up to everybody in our society to make America great again. We can start by making it possible for everybody to vote. We can start it by extending democracy, not restricting it.

By: James Cahill

I am a Communications major currently working on my Bachelors. My aim is to educate and inform. I will always speak the truth, and tell it like it is, whether people want to hear it or not. I would like to put a stop to the propaganda and misinformation that plagues mainstream media. I am a fan of facts, numbers , and logic.