Medicine Lodge High School

Medicine Lodge, KS

Teachers: Devra D. Parker and Michael Hubka

 

 

To Vote Or Not To Vote: Does It Really Matter?
 By Matt Orr

12^th grade

 

 

            Slowly I enter the polished glass doorway which has seen days like this many times before.  I step into the room and look at the blah faces, which are giving such a miniscule amount of their volunteer time.  Their eyes seem to size me up.  They look over my navy T. O. Haas Tire shirt and its dusty covering.  Then, they proceed to look over my ratted jeans all of the way down to my cracked, steal-toed shoes, worn from hundreds of days of intense labor.  Finally, they drift their attention to my hat.  This is the same hat that I have had and worn for over three years.  The once white hat with a baby blue North Carolina insignia is now covered with a mixture of tire grunge, dirt, and everyday asbestos brake dust.  After all of this occurs in a matter of moments, I take the ballot into my grubby hand and walk to one of the rickety booths used to make mass decisions for our country's well being.  I look at the ballot for the first time and wonder what all has been sacrificed in our country's vast history to make this process possible.  Then I pause and travel, in my mind, back to government class.  I remember the same thoughts that drifted through my mind during class discussion about the process for electing the person who has the most power over our nation.  Another rationalization came about how our country has defiled me by the fact that my vote carries no real clout in the entire process.  I don not believe that in my lifetime I will probably be the vote that decides a congressman or senator, but I can rest assured that my vote is counted just as equally as anyone else’s in the process.  While I look at the first space on the first ballot of my first time voting, a small sense of sickness overtakes me.  The President of the United States of America can make decisions over and over that affect our economy, laws, and foreign relations, and I have absolutely no power to stop him. 

            In our world's history some leaders were brought to power by the sole choice of those who were in power; they are called monarchs and dictators.  Our system for electoral process is far more refined than that, right?  We get to pick the people that can stab us in the back and pick our leaders for us.  In the state of Kansas there are six electoral votes.  During the electoral process there are six electors that are chosen for each presidential candidate.  Then, when the popular vote is cast, whichever candidate carries the plurality in the popular vote, the six electors for that party get to cast the vote for the entire state.  This does not sound as corrupt as I made it sound in the beginning, but do not let the possibilities slip your mind.  If the plurality of the popular vote is carried by just one vote, it is very possible that they will win the entire Electoral College for that state.  Yet, this also is not as innocent as it tries to let on.  The candidate that wins the majority in the states electors, takes all of the votes for that state.  This may not be that big of a deal this Kansas's miniscule six votes, but for a state like California this is an extreme violation of ideals.  They could have a candidate win by only one vote and carry the state's entire 54 votes.  54 votes are one fifth of the votes needed to carry a majority for the presidency.  Yet, do not count out the possibility of a set of electors revolting against the wishes of the people they represent.  If the 32 electors of Texas decide they would be better off going against the wishes of their people, they can change the fate of our country forever with the small inclination to do what they wanted to do, instead of what the people voted for.   This part of our electoral process needs to be reconsidered.

            The simplest and most satisfying way to rectify the wrongs of past elections is to change to a direct election.  Yet, many may ask what kind of a direct election is needed?  No nothing is simple in government, but we need to get rid of the winner take all system.  When this happens my vote will count just as much as the person casting in California.  I deserve this equality to choose my fate as much as any other voter in America.  On September 4, 1997 a bill was proposed that would have abolished the electoral college and changed our system to a direct vote.  I think this would have been a monumental accomplishment, but unfortunately it did not pass.  The biggest reason that it did not pass is because the congressmen that we elect do not want to relinquish their power.  The power that they would be giving up is the power to decide who the president is, if a majority is not carried in the Electoral College.  Our government also needs to press issues of campaign reform.  The quickest way to take much of the unfairness out of campaigning is to place a limit on campaign spending at 100,000 dollars.  This would eliminate dirty money, and even some negative campaigning.  The reason I believe that this would eliminate negative campaigning is, they would have to spend all of their money just to get their issues presented, and their budget would not have room for adds putting down the other candidate.  These are many of the reasons why I feel that our system needs a complete overhaul, but the place to start is with abolishing the Electoral College.

            A few years down the road, when a young man enters the same glass doorway that I did.  I feel safe to say that he will not have the same feelings of disgust fill his heart that turns his stomach.  When he steps into the booths he will know and respect the outdated system that was abolished just a short time ago.  He can step into a booth with an automated keypad resting in front of him.  Then, the only uneasy feelings he will have weighing on him is who he wants to vote for, and not whether his vote is really doing him any good.

   Questions to be answered after the required reading has been completed:

 

 

1.        How and when did the United States elect a president and vice president of different parties?  Name them and their respective parties? 

 

The election of 1796 which resulted in the election of John Adams , a Federalist , as president, and Thomas Jefferson, a Republican , as vice president.

 

2.        Describe the four ways that were suggested to elect the President between 1808 and 1846.

 

In 1808 the proposal to choose a President by lot.  It reoccurred unsuccessfully in 184 and 1846.  In 1816 the direct-vote plan was proposed and defeated.  In 1822 it was suggested that the president should be chosen by 4 religions on a rotating basis.  In 1826 an automatic plan was proposed whereby all of the states electoral votes would automatically be cast for the candidate who received the highest popular vote.  Also in 1848 The proportional plan which called for a division of each state's electoral college votes according to the popular vote received by each party was introduced.

 

3.        Name five U. S. Presidents who were elected with less than popular vote.

 

James Garfield, John Quincy Adams, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, and James Buchanan were elected with less than the popular vote.

 

4.        Describe the winner-take-all system . Which states use this system?

 

The winner-take-all system is a system whereby the majority of the popular vote in the state carry all of the electoral vote for the leading candidate.  All the stated except Maine use the winner-take-all system of electoral college.

 

5.        When do the electors vote and when are the results shown?

 

Congress determines the time which the electors are selected and the day which they will vote, which is the same day throughout the United States.  That day has been set as the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.

 

6.        What affect would substituting a direct popular vote for the Electoral College have on the third party candidates and why?

 

Using direct vote in an election would vastly increase the third party's chances.  The Third party gets a good perentage of the popular vote but often receive none of the electoral votes.  They also would receive votes from third party supporters that vote on another party so that they get some of their ideals spoken for in the government.

 

7.        Give four arguments for and against a direct vote system.

 

The direct vote system allows people to have more of a say in the election.  In the electoral college system you don't vote for the president you vote in someone who picks someone to vote for you.  You vote directly for the ideas that you believe in.  The winner take all system isn't in effect if you use the direct vote system.

In the Electoral College you get a much less percentage of incompetence.  In the Electoral College third party candidates are eliminated.  In the Electoral College the winner takes all system is in effect.  The voters in the electoral college the proper research to validate their vote.

 

 

8.        Describe the differences between the district plan, the proportional plan and the winner-take-all plan

 

In the proportional plan a small homogeneous state could carry more clout than a large diverse state.  Yet this doesn't satisfy any group.  The district plan goes further, It satisfies conservatives better and would encourage minor party candidates, giving them reassurance that they would have a chance for at least a few electoral votes.  Lastly, the winner-take-all plan unfairly favors the bigger candidates and almost eliminates the chance of a third party candidate.

 

9.        State the four points experts in 1969 agreed should be included in an ideal plan for electing  U. S. Presidents.

 

The need for a quick decision and a clear cut winner.  Second, the Victor should be the people's choice winner of the most popular votes.  Third, the president-elect should have a mandate to govern, a legitimacy which comes from a good margin of victory, and lastly, the ideal system should not undermine the two-party system.

 

10.     Crisis is one of the greatest inspirations that a human being can face.  It can cause a person to stand strong and make instinctual decisions.  These impromptu decisions are what make or break our greatest leaders.  Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of our nations finest leaders, and the only president to be elected to more than 2 terms.  He led our country through the roughest time our country has ever seen, the Great Depression.