Introductory Thoughts

Why does it matter whose voices are heard?

Imagine a country where the only people entitled to vote were rich, white men. What kinds of leaders would they elect? What kinds of policies would those leaders endorse? Would minorities, women, and people of disadvantage have any representation in such a country, or would their voices be completely ignored... go completely unheard?

For much of our history as a country, America has only allowed a select few to make decision for everybody. People with power voted in ways to maintain that power. They wanted to ensure that the primary beneficiaries of their votes were themselves, leaving others with less power to fend for themselves in a game rigged against them.

It has taken a long time for the U.S. to include most people's voices in the voting process. America is 236 years-old, a young country by most standards, yet for most of its existence huge portions of the population were not allowed to cast ballots. Even today, efforts are taken to disenfranchise people and deny them the right to vote. But in a country as large and diverse as the United States, silencing certain voices does a huge disservice to the progress and interests of the country.

So, why does it matter whose voices are heard? Because it is essential to include as many people’s voices in the voting process as possible since every individual represents a different perspective and has unique interests and needs. The different views and ideas of singular people only help to strengthen the whole of that group.

Voices (Heard and Unheard) Throughout History

In the beginning, not all American citizens were able to vote. It took many years and many obstacles had to be overcome for so many voices to be heard.

Voting in America began with the passage of the U.S Constitution in 1787 that gave white male property owners ages 21 and up the right to vote. This represented only a very small portion of the population. Over the next several decades a series of acts were passed that allowed ALL white men over he age of twenty one the right to vote, whether they owned land or not. By 1843 all white men over the age of 21 could vote.

In 1870, after the Civil War and the passage of the15th Amendment, all men over the age of 21, no matter what their ethic background was, were given he right to vote. One may say that it took a long time for the allowance of nonwhite people to vote, but this is 50 years earlier compared to how long it took for America to allow women vote. Women over the age of 21 were finally given the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment in 1920.

Despite having the right to vote, many minorities still weren't permitted to vote because of discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and other efforts to keep them from voting. It wasn't until 1965 that literacy tests and other acts to prevent minorities from voting were outlawed with the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1971 the legal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years old, largely because young soldiers, who were too young to vote, were dying in the Vietnam War. The voting registration process continues to evolve and change to make it easier for as many citizens to vote as possible. When the voices of some are not heard, efforts are often undertaken to make it possible for them share their input, such as with absentee ballots and National Voter Registration Act.

Unfortunately, efforts are also sometimes made to discourage people from voting, but that will be discussed in a later post...

Hearing From the Silenced Part I (Minorities)

Before the 15th Amendment the only people who could vote in America were white men. The 15th Amendment was passed on February 3, 1870. It stated that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This act was, passed after the Civil War, finally gave minorities the right to have a say in this country. However, having the right to vote and actually being able to vote are not the same things. 

Minorities were harassed and intimidated if they attempted to vote. There were police officers and member of White Citizens Councils outside of registration offices who would vocally and physically harass minorities attempting to vote. They would even harass the white employees who would give black workers time off to register to vote. 

Additionally, the process of registering to vote was intentionally made to be overly complex to discourage minorities from voting. So called literacy tests were put into place to prevent minorities from voting. The literacy tests themselves could prove to be extraordinarily difficult, and among the different types, the most difficult tests were always given to blacks. These tests might require a person to read complicated sections from the Constitution to make sure they could read properly, and they could also demand that a person show an ability to write by answering difficult questions about what they had read. Considering the lack of access to a decent education for many minorities, these literacy tests were completely discriminatory and designed to prevent certain voices from being heard.

Once practices such as these were outlawed with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, more and more people's interests and concerns could be heard, and minorities have had an ever increasing role in the outcomes of elections. It is widely believed that the minority vote could be the deciding factor in the 2012 election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and as the U.S. goes forward minorities will make up a larger and larger percentage of the overall vote.  

Hearing From the Silenced Part II (Women)

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." These are the words of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Amazingly, this Amendment did not pass until 1920, almost 150 years after America became it's own country. During it's first 144 years of existence, approximately half of the population of the United States was denied the right to share their voices or cast votes pertaining to issues that directly affected their lives. 

Today, things are much different. More women are registered to vote than men, and in fact more women DO vote than men. In 2004, "60.1% of women and 56.3% of men voted. That's 67.3 million women and 58.5 million men - a difference of 8.8 million" (http://womensissues.about.com/od/thepoliticalarena/a/GenderVoting.htm) Obviously, those 8.8 million voices can make a huge difference in the direction the country travels in, and it should.

Women have just as much at stake regarding what happens in America as men do, and more when it comes to issues regarding their own bodies and health. In the 2008 election, 57% of women voted for Barack Obama, while only 43% voted for John McCain. Compare this to men who split their vote for each of the candidates. In that election, women essentially decided who the president would be. That's why it matters whose voices are heard in a country. Imagine if women had the right to vote all over the world. Certainly their interests and concerns would start to become a bigger priority and candidates would have to support policies that would benefit women, rather than run campains that marginalized and oppressed women.

Hearing From the Silenced Part III (Felons)

In the U.S no felon that is doing time in jail has the right to vote. In some states ex-felons depending on the crime they committed can or can't vote, some states dont allow ex-felons no matter the crime, to vote. "In three Southern states the numbers are more stark: In Florida, 23 percent of the voting-age black population can't vote because of a felony record; in Kentucky it's 22 percent; and in Virginia it's 20 percent. Taken together, one in five blacks living in those three states is disenfranchised." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/felon-voting-rights_n_1924535.html) As proved in this quote non-white people are most affected by this felon disenfranchisement."One out of four black men go to jail in this country".(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/felon-voting-rights_n_1924535.html) Some even say that felon disenfranchisement is a modern attempt to suppress black vote. Also some say that the people who created the laws and passed them based the laws on crimes that blacks would more likely commit than whites would. 

Hearing From the Silenced Part IV (Children)

Children have never been given the right to vote for as long as America has existed. Some think that it is morally wrong that children aren't aloud to have a say in what happen in their country. In one article by Duncan Lindsey, she argues that "until children have the right to vote, we may simply continue a cycle of concern and neglect of children's issues that has failed to produce substantial progress."Things that happen in the United States impacts the lives of children as well as anyone else, and they should have a chance to have their concerns heard. 

IF KIDS VOTED...

Some people also argue that, if at the age of 14 children are aloud to work and pay taxes, they should have a right to vote. This ideas goes back to the founding days of America when colonists demanded "no taxation without representation." 

Opponents of child voting argue that if children need others to take care of them, then how would they be able to make such a decision as to decide on who should be president of this country. Some people also claim that children would be influenced by their parents, giving parents two or more votes while leaving a child's opinion essentially unheard. 

It is unlikely that the U.S. will allow young children to vote anytime soon, but some countries, such as Austria and Brazil, do allow people as young as 16 to vote. In a true democracy, shouldn't ALL citizens have their voices heard?

Ongoing Attempts to Silence

Even after passing Acts and Amendments on voters rights, still some states try to silence the elderly, minorities, and low income groups to prevent them from voting.

One way that states prevent some people from voting is requiring them to show their ID before they cast a vote. This affects those who live in rural areas because the nearest state issuing office is most likely miles away and requires some sort of transportation to get there. Some people who live in rural areas can't afford a car, so they wouldn't be able to get to the state issuing office, and in turn they aren't able vote. A voter ID also affects low income groups because in order to get a voter ID one must show their birth certificate, which in some areas can cost twenty five dollars and for some may seem like a quite a bit of money. The majority of people who are affected by these attempts to silence are disadvantaged people who need to have their voices heard so they can have their needs met. Even if one U.S citizens can't vote it could change outcome of an election. 

Final Thoughts

Why does it matter whose voices are heard?

It is important to include as many people’s voices in the voting process as possible because every individual represents one small piece of the giant puzzle that is the United States. When one piece is missing, something is wrong with the big picture.

People's voices do matter. They can make a big difference in the outcome of an election. In the 2012 election, if only white men could vote, Mitt Romney would almost certainly be president since he is supported by more than 60% of men. However, because the votes of minorities and women ARE also counted today, it is very likely that Barack Obama will earn a second term as president because he has the majority of support from those groups.

In the end, individual votes do count. People's voices are important. They give shape to the kind of country America is and what it will be in the future.