A government that functions properly and a nation that is defined to work in line with democracy must provide its citizens with an opportunity to vote. The 2016 elections locked out almost 92 million voters from participating in the democratic practice, while the 2014 elections locked out 143 million voters. Voting is an essential democratic practice as taking part in elections is a sign of good citizenship in a democratic country. Increasing voter turnout is an essential part of democracy that helps prevent polarization and encourages a legislature that functions in the best way possible. It is a step that helps young people who are the majority group in voting to become engaged in politics. More people from different backgrounds need to select a leader, especially when they know the candidates’ policies. With the current voter turnout is at 66%, the policy is meant to improve the turn out by 14% to push it to 70% in the next elections by using modern media platforms, traditional media, and broadcast media as discussed in this plan.
In the 2020 elections, more Americans Turned out to cast their votes, unlike in the past years. The turnout was much higher than the previous elections, indicating a slight rise in voter turnout. The highest voter turnout was in 1900 where 73.3% of all citizens cast their ballot. The nomination and general election stages include the party process of selecting a candidate. The process must be within the constitutional provisions, and parties are required to nominate their presidential candidate. The nominated candidate must undergo a debate to answer specific questions about their policies and defend their stand on political issues. Citizens do not directly elect the President, but they are chosen by “electors” in an “Electoral College” process. The entire election process is divided into five steps: primaries and Caucuses, National Conventions, Election campaigning, General Elections, and Electoral college.
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A research was conducted through interviews to determine why people do not vote. Most individuals indicated that their loss of interest in voting was because the elected leaders do not help citizens during a crisis. People do not trust government officials to do the right thing, and most voters feel like the electoral system is rigged and is not liable to produce legible results.
Traditional print media such as newspapers can help to boost voter turnout. Newspaper audiences in municipalities can increase voter turnout due to the large audience that relies on newspapers for political updates. Broadcast media such as Television and Radio can enlighten people about politics and the government and educate them on voting’s critical role. TV ads can be used to provide political knowledge that is essential to the voters. This step can increase voters’ awareness and boost voter turnout. Radio and television influence voter participation through political reports and cover the news based on the electoral process (Javaid & Elahi, 2014).
The internet has a significant impact on voter behavior and can boost the low levels of voter turnout. Social media platforms have transformed the way voters access and receive political data. It is a platform that can help citizens to get relevant information about politics that can encourage them to take part in the voting process. Providing more information about the election process can encourage internet users to reverse the negative perceptions over voting, which is a positive step in boosting voter turnout. Encouraging the youth to take advantage of new technological advancements such as using smartphone Apps for voting can help gain more votes from the youth (Tolbert & McNeal, 2003). Local citizens who can hardly access social media platforms can be encouraged to vote by providing physical education to the communities about their essential role in the political process.
In conclusion, increasing voter turn can be achieved by taking advantage of print and digital media to educate people about politics. This step can change the negative attitude that most people have about voting. Through social media platforms, political information can educate young people about politics and encourage them to participate in the electoral process by using technological models such as voting Apps through smartphones.
References
Javaid, U., & Elahi, U. (2014). Patterns of Political Perceptions, Attitudes and Voting Behaviour: Influence of Media. South Asian Studies (1026-678X) , 29 (2).
Tolbert, C. J., & McNeal, R. S. (2003). Unraveling the effects of the internet on political participation?. Political research quarterly , 56 (2), 175-185.
