Why does Texas have such a
poor voter participation rate? One could say that the general public simply
doesn’t care about the politics that surrounds them and is incorporated in
their daily lives. Maybe they feel as if their voice – their vote – doesn’t really
count in a predominately one-sided political party state. We could even go as
far to say that the members of this vast land aren’t quite sure on the stands
of their favorable political leaders. So out of 13.6 million eligible voters in
the state of Texas, can these assumptions be true and ultimately drive down our
participation rate?
Recent survey polls have
shown that your average American favors to not indulge themselves in politics
and is comfortable with that way of life. Understandable when trying to follow
and keep up with such complex issues that face society these days. But aren’t
the political leaders that chose to face these issues head on for us supposed
to be articulating these problems for us? Are they doing their job to the best
of their ability?
How’s life for your
uneducated American who’s never voted a day in his or her life? Or that single
mother that is struggling to get by who’s classified as below the poverty line
in Texas? Better yet, the Democratic that lives in Texas but doesn’t even
bother to vote on Election Day because they already know the outcome. It’s the
little guy’s voice that we need to start looking out for and representing. Not
only for them, but also for this great state that is ultimately hurting itself
in the process. Texas needs to take a second look at who’s all voting and who
isn’t to try and find more alternatives in tipping the scale back the other
way.
Do we have a chance at this
or is it a lost cause? Texas, we’re all ears!
Mr. Bagby puts forth a very interesting point on his blog. Voters don’t care, why should you? He put forth “Maybe they feel as if their… vote doesn’t count.” A vote does count, but it doesn’t always count in certain situations. If a certain amount of people are persuaded to vote towards a policy or elected official, even if that policy or elected official could hurt them. A vote towards the right vote wouldn’t count than. As Bagby said most people don’t always understand their where political leaders stand on issues.
ReplyDeleteBagby does quite well by also pointing out survey polls show that the average American doesn’t involve themselves in politics and usually just conforms to the way life is presented to them. As mentioned by Bagby we face complex issues in society. Aren’t the politicians suppose represent us and do their job to the best of their ability. Sometimes to me it seems like the only reason some ideologies or political figures are mentioned, is because the businesses want these polices or people there.
Over all, Bagby does an excellent job on this entry. He points out not everyone has a fair chance depending on their situation. The little guy does need to have a voice and needs the proper representative in office. Adjusting and providing alternatives can help greatly to provide the correct progress and security. As individuals and voters, we should all be interested in the politics around us or we could end up in a situation similar to Nazi Germany, which no one needs a repeat of.
My colleague, Mr. Bagby, couldn't have said it any better. All of the points he mentioned play a part in our low voting state. I know there's a lot of Texans that don't care to vote. The question is why? I'm sure the majority of non-voters would care if they were educated about the issues, the candidates running and how politics work. But not a lot are. Maybe we as a state should take some responsibility and ask if we did a good enough job educating our people and showing them how truly important it is to participate and vote? Other states exceed our voter turnout by a lot. Although, they have more competitive elections then ours and easier ways to vote as in mail-in voting.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, I do believe that as the majority of Texans become Hispanic we'll see a shift to Democrat or at least far more competitive elections than the most recent ones. But then again, not many Hispanics in Texas vote as of now.