In the spirit of Election Day, I thought it would be best to look deeper into the voting system in the United States. Specifically, the voting process and not so much the electoral college. Here are 5 major problems when it comes to the voting process in the United States:
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Easier Voting Registration
One of the biggest issues when it comes to voter registration is making sure those who are voting have identification. Some states require only an identification. Other states, such as Florida, require a photo identification, and there are few states in the country that require no identification. However, what exactly is the problem with identification and voter registration? Well, a lot of people in America cannot afford any identification card or papers because they can be too costly. This isolates a portion of Americans who could vote but cannot vote because they simply do not have identification card.
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More Locations to Vote
If you are like my dad and like to vote at the polling stations, you find yourself in a frustrating place. You want to get the real feeling of voting and the voting sticker but you do not want to stay in line forever. Especially, on work days where you are either trying to vote during your lunch break or when you get off of work. That is why many people do not vote because they get discouraged when they see long lines. It would be a lot easier and efficient to open more polling stations or allow anyone in your district to vote at any polling stations.
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Absentee Ballots
Absentee ballots are great if you do not want to wait in line at the polling stations. The ballots are mailed to your house, you fill it out, and simply, send it back. However, the sad part of ballots is that if you make any mistake on the ballot, they will not count it. That is why it is super important you read and follow the instructions so your vote can count.
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Outdated Technology
Another small but significant impact is the technology used during voting. A lot of these machines are very outdated and can be very confusing to use. This can cause many people to feel discouraged when they are voting or they could mistakenly vote for someone they did not intend to vote for. Thankfully, some polling stations have upgraded to touch screen voting ballots but there are still a handful of polling stations where they still have punch card or lever voting machine.
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Whole Ton of Information
There is just a lot of information and rules when it comes to voting. How to register to vote, when you can vote, when you need to turn in your ballot, how to fill out your ballot, when can you go to the polling stations. It can feel very overwhelming. There are so many steps for something that should be simple and easy for the people of the United States. This ultimately discourages people from voting and scares them away. It suddenly becomes a burden on the everyday American to go over what they can and cannot do when it comes to voting. Overall, the whole voting process should be easier to get more people to vote.
References:
Fessler, Pam. “Want Your Absentee Vote To Count? Don’t Make These Mistakes.” NPR, NPR, 22 Oct. 2014, www.npr.org/2014/10/22/358108606/want-your-absentee-vote-to-count-dont-make-these-mistakes.
FIXCapitalism. “5 Serious Problems With the Current Election.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/fixcapitalism/5-serious-problems-with-t_b_9698584.html.
Liptak, Adam. “Lost Votes, Problem Ballots, Long Waits? Flaws Are Widespread, Study Finds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/us/politics/us-voting-flaws-are-widespread-study-shows.html.
Underhill, Wendy. “VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS | VOTER ID LAWS.” Voter Identification Requirements | Voter ID Laws, 15 May 2015, www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx.
Yang, John. “Study Finds Voting Process Problematic.” ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98404&page=1.