Texas citizens typically see no change in their everyday lives through active participation int he political realm. For example, the working poor never see any changes in the conditions of their lives even if they did vote, so they save themselves the trouble of making the trip to go vote. Political candidates spend time traveling to these poorer areas in order to win their votes, but political promises made to the poor are often unfulfilled. As Saul Elbein states, "No shows: why so few Texans bother to vote," the way to get people to participate in voting is to get them to start participating in smaller political services such as the school board, where their votes will have an impact. However, this is not a viable solution in and of itself because of the situations of the lower class. Many of the less well-off citizens in Texas must work long hours in order to make earn enough money to feed their families. Therefore, participating in local government such as school and community boards just isn't an option for these men and women. The change must come in how information is spread. When Wendy Davis performed her famous filibuster to stop the abortion bill in Texas, many Texans rallied up to go to the capitol and support her. Knowing and being passionate about government policies is a crucial in achieving higher voter participation. To do this, politicians cannot simply visit poor areas just before elections; there must be a constant effort by the government to inform the public of what happens within the government and create constant interaction with the public to spark interest. Whether this is achieved through weekly papers or widespread politician interaction, something has to be done.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Why Bother Voting?
"I'm not going to vote. Texas is going to be a Republican state anyways; my vote won't make a difference" Variations of this phrase resounds through the state of Texas during voting season in present times. In general, Texas has always had very low political participation by its citizens, but now, it's the lowest in the United States. Why?
Texas citizens typically see no change in their everyday lives through active participation int he political realm. For example, the working poor never see any changes in the conditions of their lives even if they did vote, so they save themselves the trouble of making the trip to go vote. Political candidates spend time traveling to these poorer areas in order to win their votes, but political promises made to the poor are often unfulfilled. As Saul Elbein states, "No shows: why so few Texans bother to vote," the way to get people to participate in voting is to get them to start participating in smaller political services such as the school board, where their votes will have an impact. However, this is not a viable solution in and of itself because of the situations of the lower class. Many of the less well-off citizens in Texas must work long hours in order to make earn enough money to feed their families. Therefore, participating in local government such as school and community boards just isn't an option for these men and women. The change must come in how information is spread. When Wendy Davis performed her famous filibuster to stop the abortion bill in Texas, many Texans rallied up to go to the capitol and support her. Knowing and being passionate about government policies is a crucial in achieving higher voter participation. To do this, politicians cannot simply visit poor areas just before elections; there must be a constant effort by the government to inform the public of what happens within the government and create constant interaction with the public to spark interest. Whether this is achieved through weekly papers or widespread politician interaction, something has to be done.
Texas citizens typically see no change in their everyday lives through active participation int he political realm. For example, the working poor never see any changes in the conditions of their lives even if they did vote, so they save themselves the trouble of making the trip to go vote. Political candidates spend time traveling to these poorer areas in order to win their votes, but political promises made to the poor are often unfulfilled. As Saul Elbein states, "No shows: why so few Texans bother to vote," the way to get people to participate in voting is to get them to start participating in smaller political services such as the school board, where their votes will have an impact. However, this is not a viable solution in and of itself because of the situations of the lower class. Many of the less well-off citizens in Texas must work long hours in order to make earn enough money to feed their families. Therefore, participating in local government such as school and community boards just isn't an option for these men and women. The change must come in how information is spread. When Wendy Davis performed her famous filibuster to stop the abortion bill in Texas, many Texans rallied up to go to the capitol and support her. Knowing and being passionate about government policies is a crucial in achieving higher voter participation. To do this, politicians cannot simply visit poor areas just before elections; there must be a constant effort by the government to inform the public of what happens within the government and create constant interaction with the public to spark interest. Whether this is achieved through weekly papers or widespread politician interaction, something has to be done.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment