Recently, SNL released a skit entitled the "Undecided Voter." Just as the name implies, this video acknowledges the importance of the undecided voter and address the issues undecided voters have to deal with. Instead of talking about typical political issues, the skit argues that the biggest problems the undecided voter deals with is not knowing the basics of how to vote.
As ridiculous as the video seems, it is surprisingly accurate. As a student at USC, I have quite a few friends who have not registered to vote... Monday is the last day to register. While many of these people have the best of intentions of voting, they most likely not be able to as a result of not fulfilling the requirements.
There are two things to note about the statement made above. First, the college age bracket is notorious for not voting. Before entering college, I could not perceive how someone who had the ability to vote would choose not to. Now that I am a part of the highly scrutinized age bracket, I understand: we don't know what we're doing. Do we have to apply for a change of address every time we move apartments (all within a mile radius of each other, mind you)? Should we just use our parents' address? Is it better to vote in the state you are currently in (and may be starting a life in) or in the state where your life has been (but may be no longer)? Secondly, the young people I am referring to GO TO USC. As can be seen in "Going Green" by Peter Raptis and "Poverty & Education in the United States: The Cyclical Disaster" on That's Annoying, people of my generation do indeed care about today's issues. If a group of highly educated individuals do not know how or do not feel comfortable with the voting process, how can the general population be expected to?
I wonder if it is time to revise the voting system. For a generation that spends more time with a computer than a pen and paper, the bureaucratic system currently in place makes no sense. I am not arguing that the whole system should be converted to an online system- people would still be left out of the voting process in that case. Rather, I am arguing that the voting system should be revised and expanded. I am curious to see if voting rates would increase if voting online was made a possibility. If changing the voting system to be something that makes sense to all possible voters is "out of the question," maybe the government can start supporting Voting 101 classes... But then again, I wonder how many people would take the class.
Voting online sounds like a great and useful idea for the young generation, but what about the security issues of internet? As everyone knows, internet is one of the most unsafe place in the world and to use it as part of the presidential election just doesn't sound like a good idea any more. However, I do agree with you on university or even small communities need to inform their residences more about election. I just helped one of my friend register to vote at last minutes after I find out she had never registered even though she is 21 years old. The first thing she asked me was "when is the election?"....
ReplyDeleteI do not disagree with you- I am sure the internet is not the safest medium of communication. However, the current voting system is so confusing that I do not think that adding the internet to voting options would hurt the system. For example, all one needs to do is look to Bush's election in 2000 to know how thoroughly confusing and messy our system is. An entire state (Florida) suffered as a result of a poorly constructed ballot (butterfly ballot). My thought process is that so many young, potential voters are more familiar or comfortable with the internet that introducing the internet to voting options would increase voting. My concern is not with fixing the current system but with changing it or educating people to be able to operate within it.
ReplyDeleteI posted this video to my Blog too! I just think it's funny how blunt they are about topics, such as when is the election? Because as funny as it is, I can guarantee you that not everyone here at USC knows the election dates. Plus, for the majority of us, this is our first time voting in a presidential election! Knowing where to register is definitely difficult. I choose to vote in my home state of MA because I have a better sense of more of the candidates and what they stand for. I also feel like I have a better sense of how the ballot questions would affect MA more than CA.
ReplyDeleteI think that many of the people that are unconcerned with elections and voting are that way because they feel that individually they have no say or wouldn't bring about a large impact. What is funny is that for every issue out there are probably hundreds of thousands with the same mentality and they together could be the hundred thousand voters needed to tip the scale.
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