Opinion: To vote or not to vote? That is the question

 Now, I'm sure that we've all seen the ads related to the midterm elections. Whether that be Tudor Dixon hurting Michigan women or Prop 3 being 'too extreme' and 'too confusing', these ads are taking over your local channels. But I want to talk about a different issue on the ballot this year: Prop 2. Prop 2 would amend the Michigan State Constitution, to allow nine days of early voting, require state-funded postage for absentee applications and ballots, continue to allow registered voters without a state ID to sign an affidavit attesting to their identity, etc.  Now, my problem lies with that last part. Across the US, we see people get turned away, because they don't have explicit ID that enables them to vote. In most cases, the affidavit that they sign, is null, because of some small legal loophole, that prevents that ballot from being counted. In my opinion, that is malarkey. If you want to vote, you should have voter ID. However, it is the duty of the government to ensure that everybody gets that voter ID. 

Now, let me bring an example from another democratic nation, India. In India, there is a mandatory voter ID, that everybody should have, if they want to vote. There is also a regular ID card that Indians have: an Aadhar Card. Last year, the Indian government passed a law, legalizing a connection between the Aadhar card and the voter ID card. Effectively, come Election Day, the voter just needs to show their Aadhar card, and will be allowed to vote. Moreover, there is a public record of all the Aadhar cards, which can allow citizens to see if their ID has expired. The best part about these Aadhar cards, is that everybody can get one with ease. I remember watching in 2017, as a worker came to my grandfather's house, and took his picture, for the Aadhar card. The whole process took less than 15 minutes. 

It is mind-boggling to me, that a country that proclaims itself to be the 'greatest democracy in the world' cannot bring themselves to spend 15 minutes, to ensure that its citizens can vote. Since the implementation of Aadhar cards, in 2012, India's election turnout jumped to 66%, in the 2014 elections, 12% higher than the 2016 US Presidential election. I find it ridiculous that provisions are required to accommodate people who do not bring their specific voter ID. Why not make the ID ubiquitous, like a driver's license? It would be so simple, to just make a small marking on the driver's license indicating that the person is a registered voter, much like the marking for an organ donor. We need to implement solutions like these, and ensure that everybody can vote. After all, when everybody votes, we build a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Comments

  1. BhuvanOctober 30, 2022 at 11:20 AM

    I agree with your idea that people should be given voter IDs as a way of voting. I also like how you incorporated a bit of statistics into your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms. ValentinoOctober 30, 2022 at 12:31 PM

    While I like the post, this needs to be connected to the Great Gatsby.

    ReplyDelete

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