Introduction
In recent years, the United States has been known for its low voter turnout compared to other democratic developed countries, which calls into question the legitimacy of democracy in the country. Researchers are studying possible barriers in the voting system that lead to low voter turnout and offer different ways to solve the problem. In midterm elections, the debate about what should be done has intensified. Thus, it is impossible to deny that to increase voter turnout in the US and thus solve the problem of persistently low voter turnout.
Why It is Important to Vote
There is no doubt that the electoral process concerns every person living in each country. In this regard, there are many reasons why it is important to take part in elections, that is, to increase turnout. The most significant reason is the exercise of the right to vote, which is given to all citizens of the country by the supreme law of the United States (Duncan & Claeys, 2018). Having the right to vote, everyone gets the opportunity to participate in the process of governing the state, as well as to influence the government directly. In addition, each person with the right to vote decides who he would like to entrust with the country’s management during the next presidential term. Since the opportunity to elect the president of the country is provided once every four years, it is impossible to neglect the chance to improve one’s life. The same applies to local government elections, which are often treated with even less seriousness by citizens than presidential elections.
The following reason is the manifestation of personal citizenship. Only an honest citizen is not indifferent to what is happening, both in the country and in its native city. The next important reason is the maximum voter turnout because fair elections are elections with a high turnout. A high turnout is a shred of evidence that voters are active citizens and are concerned about the country’s future (Gamble & Wright, 2019). Minimizing possible fraud is another reason to take part in the elections. With a high voter turnout, the likelihood of forgery and manipulation of voting results is significantly reduced.
World practice testifies, instead, to the presence of a reasonably strong correlation between the level of turnout of the electorate in elections and the legitimacy of the government, as well as citizens’ trust in the electoral system. According to foreign political scientists, the low level of turnout indicates the dissatisfaction of the population with the policy of the authorities, which is combined with the absence of either alternatives or the relationship, at least in the mind of the voter, between participation in elections and changing the current political course. It is widely known that elections in a democratic state require compliance with the following criteria: openness, the secrecy of voting, competitiveness, the immediacy of participation, equal representation, and universality.
US Vote Turnout
High voter turnout is the foundation of a healthy democracy. The low turnout is often attributed to political innocence and the widespread belief that voting for one or another candidate/party will make little difference in public policy. Voter turnout in the United States is lower than in most established democracies, at around 60% in presidential elections and 40% in midterm years (Voter turnout, 2022). Turnout is as high as 90% in countries with compulsory voting and reaches about 70% in developed countries (Voter turnout, 2022). Voter turnout in the United States fluctuates in national elections. In recent decades, about 40% voted during midterm elections, with 2020 and 2018 marking the highest turnout in presidential and midterm elections in over a century (Voter turnout, 2022). Often, due to the low voter turnout calls into question the legitimacy of the elections and the institutions of power that were formed with their help.
The Problem Needs to be Solved
An important promise of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) is the potential to transform government by providing citizens with new forms of access and participation in the political process. However, e-voting raises security, technical and legal issues that have slowed its adoption in a number of other countries, including the US (LeRoux et al., 2020). Other ICT voting tools, such as text reminders, voting advice apps, e-services, and website apps, have lower implementation and deployment costs and have the potential to increase political participation.
Universal suffrage as an obligatory civic duty may seem like a radical idea. However, it is used in different democracies around the world. One of them, Australia, has been operating for almost 100 years (Brett, 2019). In Australia, all registered citizens must vote, and nearly all are reported; the enforcement mechanism is a fine of about $15, and people can cast blank ballots or ‘none of the above’ to express their indifference to the proposed slate of candidates (Brett, 2019). As a result, turnout in every Australian election since 1924 has been around 90 percent (Brett, 2019). The issue was hardly discussed despite such an enviable track record — and the fact that others imported the concept of a secret ballot from Australia in the late 19th century in the USA. The exception is Massachusetts, the only state that explicitly provides compulsory voting in its constitution.
An essential aspect of legal culture is the culture of participation in the electoral process of citizens-voters. Elections can fulfill their political function only if there is an agreed electoral, guarantee, sectoral and structural legislation and its implementation by all participants in the electoral process. Hence the role in democratic societies of institutions that carry out the electoral and legal education of citizens is derived, which to a certain extent, ensures the professionalization of the electoral process.
The level of legal culture of the population is most clearly manifested in its activity on the day of elections or a referendum. The further political future of the country depends on the choice of citizens, and a lack of understanding of this, and as a result, ignoring the elections, indicates a low electoral and legal culture. The registration and voting reforms proposed by election organizers, advocates, and visionary officials are encouraging and important. They can have a tangible impact on turnout, and expanding voting opportunities in blue, red, and purple states is a positive step toward greater participation. Embracing and building on these achievements will improve American democracy and give universal civic duty the best opportunity to succeed.
Conclusion
Voting is the central pillar of democracy, and the US consistently lags behind Western democracies regarding voter turnout. Voter turnout can influence results of an election, so voter turnout needs to be increased in the US. It is necessary to create conditions under which high turnout in elections at all levels will become the norm. It can only give a comprehensive approach, a set of systemic measures that help to stimulate the voter to go to the polling stations and increase confidence in the electoral procedures. It will show the voter’s interest in participating in the elections, ultimately increasing the legitimacy of the electoral process.
References
Brett, J. (2019). From secret ballot to democracy sausage: How Australia got compulsory voting. Text Publishing.
Duncan, J., & Claeys, P. (2018). Politicizing food security governance through participation: Opportunities and opposition. Food Security, 10(6), 1411–1424.
Gamble, A., & Wright, A. (2019). Rethinking democracy. John Wiley et Sons Ltd.
LeRoux, K., Fusi, F., & Brown, A. G. (2020). Assessing e-government capacity to increase voter participation: Evidence from the U.S. Government Information Quarterly, 37(3), 101483.
Voter turnout. FairVote. (2022).