Democracy and its corresponding values form the very foundation, which upholds contemporary society. Traditionally, this principle of the ruling is expected to reflect the core principle coded in its name – rule of the people and for the people. Accordingly, its mechanisms are to provide the nation’s population with sufficient resources and instruments to influence the political landscape of the country. However, it is not always the case, as, in the contemporary environment, some of these mechanisms are misused or applied in a biased manner. At the same time, the institute of elections is one of the core principles of democracy. It represents the fundamental mechanism through which voters are able to express their support, or lack thereof, regarding a specific politician or a party. As such, this instrument is initially designed to reflect the current level of public satisfaction with the political processes within a nation objectively. Nevertheless, while the United States represents one of the leading democracies in the world, the national electoral framework demonstrates considerable flaws, which prevents it from reaching its full potential.
Evidently, the United States of America became one of the first nations in the world’s history, which were built upon the principles of democracy. To this day, these values remain a crucial element of the nation’s political, social, and cultural landscapes. However, as developed as the American democracy is, there appear to be certain pressing issues, which are to be addressed in this regard. More specifically, these issues lie in the area of elections, voting, and public engagement in them. As Morone and Kersch (2018) state, nearly 100 million eligible voters refrain from political engagement in the United States (312). Simultaneously, significantly higher turnout rates are observed in, for example, Sweden, South Korea, and Belgium. Such statistics may signify that the outcome of an American election is not, in fact, the voice of all residents.
Furthermore, when it comes to electoral procedures, there exist certain barriers for some social groups. As discussed by Morone and Kersch, people of color historically faced serious impediments in the way of their political activity (314). For example, in the 1960s, African Americans had to complete a quiz, which would determine their eligibility to vote. At the same, this test implied the perfect knowledge of the U.S. political system, which, however, was never required from white voters. While serious measures have been taken to eradicate these disparities, the discrimination of the past continues to echo through the present elections. Democratic values suggest that the votes of all citizens are to be considered equal, which is why there is still progress to be made in this regard.
Another topical issue within the electoral framework of the United States is related to the opposite end of inequality. Morone and Kersch refer to this concept as “complacency” in relation to upper middle-case voters (316). According to this principle, those who manage to attain a certain level of objective success under the current rule are unlikely to partake in further political activity. Such people remain satisfied with the situation, as it is, meaning that they are not willing to advocate for changes. Nevertheless, this success often comes at the expense of other citizens and is conditioned by certain undeserved privileges. Therefore, complacency prevents a rather important voter group from recognizing the needs of other strata of the American society, leading to further disparities.
Ultimately, despite the fact that the principles of democracy remain deeply embedded in American life, there are improvements to be made. As such, the electoral mechanism in the country continues to demonstrate certain flaws. Most of them are related to the lack of public engagement in political activities. Over 100 million Americans refrain from voting, and the turnout rates for midterms elections are even lower. People of color, recent immigrants, young people, and content middle-class residents remain unlikely to cast their votes, each for a different reason. In the end, when the election results are determined by just a portion of the population, they are unlikely to adhere fully to the core ideas of democracy.
Work Cited
Morone, James A. and Rogan Kersh. By the People: Debating American Government (4th ed.). Oxford University Press, 2019.