As we enter the election season here at a top college in the most important primary state, the sacred, democratic opportunity to vote is almost here. Voting is one of the key electoral issues that arises during each election cycle, as we endlessly debate who can do it, where it can be done and why it should be done. Inevitably, low turnout is met with despair and the resolve to get more volunteers with clipboards and registration forms out on the street next year. But what is lost in this discourse is the electoral reality of political apathy -- the root cause of low voter turnout -- and its cause.
The decreasing importance of the vote, from an informed expression of political knowledge and concern to a meaningless inconvenience, is a primary factor. The ideal conception of voting is an expansive one that comprises political attention, judgment, thought, discussion, debate, reading and some knowledge of the Constitution and candidates: voting as the fulfillment of the principles of political life. The narrow-minded definition of voting that we see in effect today, is a person being harassed into filling out a form two weeks before they might be cornered into entering a polling place: voting as going to a polling station and pulling a lever.
Another key contributor to low voter interest is government itself. Discounting the first couple elections when people could not physically get to polling places, American history has seen a steady and dramatic decline in the number of eligible voters casting a ballot. Intuition might suggest that with government growing in size, scope and power more people's lives would be touched, generating more voters, or that the rapidly increasing availability of information would generate more interest. I think it is just the opposite. More government seems to leave a bitter taste in people's mouths -- not to mention an empty feeling in their pockets -- and the ability to see it with more accessible information leads to repulsion rather than engagement.
The final element in decreasing participation in the vote is an inordinate focus on voting as the sole barometer of democratic participation. Voting should be the end of democratic participation, not the beginning. One of the highest forms of civic involvement, designed to be the centerpiece of republican engagement, jury duty, is treated with contempt. And there is scarce encouragement to get involved in town meetings, contact representatives or run for local office -- unless an organization needs support for their pet cause. There is almost zero focus on education, teaching people what our Constitution says or the history of American traditions, nor is there a premium placed on information, the positions of candidates or the political philosophies of parties.
Instead, all we hear about are lawsuits to help convicted felons and illegal immigrants vote and the unconscionable burden of having to register a week in advance. There are, of course, some procedural issues that need to be dealt with, foremost among them the inability of some citizens to get to polls or secure an absentee ballot. Expanding the opportunity to vote is praiseworthy, whether that means making Election Day into election two-days or a federal holiday. There are so few people who are informed and actually want to vote that we should provide all possible means to include them in American democracy.
There are many who disagree with my contention that the key to increasing turnout of quality voters is engagement in broader democratic participation. Without fail, every post-cycle analysis showcases advocates of mandatory voting systems, like that of Australia, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine to not vote. But forcing people to vote against their will contradicts the basic principles of democratic freedom: think compulsory democracy or authoritarian freedom. Further, these votes are counterproductive; every coerced vote cast carelessly in ignorance and contempt negates a cherished expression of democratic character, essentially disenfranchising real voters.
If we want more people to vote, and we certainly do, it must go hand in hand with broader reform: government that implements common sense and constitutional policy of which citizens can be proud, individual involvement in local government, and intellectual stimulation in American history and practices. For participation to truly take place, the atmosphere should be infused with the spirit of civic virtue and citizens with the mindset of democratic character. Pulling a lever just doesn't cut it.
