‘Don’t Like the Candidates? Vote Anyway’ by Adam Grant

The trends of voter turnout have remained worryingly low in the United States. Apparently, it is hard to remember a day in the history of the US that voter turnout exceeded 55%, and recent research has established the trend could get worse in the coming years if steps are not taken to address it. In a recent study to establish the voting patterns in different nations, described in ‘Don’t Like the Candidates? Vote Anyway’ by Adam Grant, the US is ranked 31st out of 34 nations (2016). The current paper offers a personal opinion on the article by Grant, which remains a major reflective piece that could change the way people view the voting exercise in the United States. I agree with all the details that Grant expresses in his article. I am not puzzled at all because I have always understood that almost half of all eligible voters never participate in elections. 

The reasons that Grant details for the low voter turnout in the United States are quite accurate. The fact that most low paid citizens record the highest number of those not voting gives a clear picture on the way the economic standards in the US influence voting patterns. Clearly, and as Grant explains, the minority groups have consistently recorded the lowest numbers at polling stations. Besides, some other people are just too busy to go out voting on Election Day. Grant explains that he has himself failed to vote in some instances because of various commitments. Additionally, Grant explains that some other people believe that their vote would not make a difference even if the voted. All the reasons that Grant details in his article are the main reasons behind the low voter turnout that has defined the elections in the United States. 

The question of what needs to be done to rectify the worrying trend of low voter turnout in the United States has still not been answered extensively. Grant offers quite some insight given the information that has been gathered on the election patterns in some other nations. For instance, Grant explains the option of making voting a mandatory exercise and punishing those who fail to vote, as is the case in Australia. Clearly, punishing people for not voting in the United States is impossible given the constitutional rights that everyone enjoys in the country. Grant also explains that the voting process can be made universal in the sense that people can vote through their phones, computers and PlayStations, as it has been happening in some European countries. While that option could be possible, there are quite some hitches hindering its implementation, the first of them being the risk of hacking.

There are two main ways the voting patterns in the United States can be improved. First, the US citizens need to take pride in the voting exercise, as it significantly affects the life they lead. Choosing the president and the other leaders is an opportunity that the citizens have in deciding the path their country will take for some years before the completion of the election cycle. The federal and state governments also have a critical role to play in ensuring that Americans vote. First, they should make the voting day a public holiday so that people are able to avoid other engagements and commit to voting. Grant advises that the government should change the voting exercise from a verb to a noun. Secondly, the governments should implement public awareness and education to sensitize all citizens on the importance of voting. Currently, the US is in its voting season, and the candidates of the two most popular parties have all recorded high unfavorable ratings, which raises the concern for a record low voter turnout. Clearly, the US government needs to do everything to ensure that all people vote freely and that all the recorded votes count in shaping the future of the nation.

Reference

Grant, A. (2016).  Don’t Like the Candidates? Vote Anyway .  Nytimes.com . Retrieved 4 October 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/opinion/sunday/dont-like-the-candidates-vote-anyway.html