Factors That Led to a Decline in US Voter Confidence
While a majority of factors contributed to a lowered voter confidence in the U.S. political system, several elements were especially influential. This included a variety of political, social, and military events, such as the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and a number of assassinations (Corbett et al., 2022).
The Vietnam War’s Impact
By the middle 1960s, the general position on involvement in Vietnam had become negative among the population. This was due to the decision to send thousands of more troops to the country to fight what was becoming more obviously an unjustified, inhumane conflict.
Voting Rights and the Military
A large component of lost faith in the system was due to many young men being recruited into the military but being denied the right to vote. This was due to the present voting age limitations that became unreasonable when compared to the acts the men of that age would be performing in a military conflict. While confidence in the system eroded, a legal change occurred in order to allow for a lower voting age.
The Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal contributed directly to the loss of faith in the current power under Richard Nixon. The 1973 hearings contributed to a drastic decrease in the public support previously attained by the president. The severity of the cover-up was deemed to be quite high among viewers of the hearings, and Nixon’s reputation was at a drastic detriment. His general inadequateness became more revealing and indicative of incompetence within the system to many citizens.
Assassinations
Furthermore, certain polls indicated that the trust in the president was so low that he should have been made to stand trial even after impeachment. The most infamous assassination of the 1960s was that of President John F. Kennedy, followed by other significant figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. The political landscape presented disarray and danger that further diminished public trust.
Reference
Corbett, S. P., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestiel, T., Waskiewicz, S., & Vickery, P. (2022). U.S. History. OpenStax.