We just went through the 2022 midterm elections and living in Arkansas showed me something this year. Arkansans don't vote! Or at least a majority of them do not. According to the Arkansas Secretary of State's website, 906,811 Arkansans voted. That is just 50.4% of registered voters in Arkansas who actually cast a ballot.
The 2020 census concluded that Arkansas has 3,011,524 residents now and 76.8% of Arkansans are 18 or older. That means that 2,312,850 Arkansans are eligible to vote barring those who are felons. Out of the 2+ million people who are eligible to vote, only 906,811 cast a ballot.
My question is why do so many people not participate in electing those leaders who serve them?
One of the first answers I ever heard to this question was my best friend's dad stating, "I don't vote because if you register you may have to serve on jury duty." I was about 14 when he said this. Another answer came from my Aunt Dude. She stated that "my vote doesn't count" and believed that was true due to the electoral college. Currently, many people do not vote because they don't trust our government and believe both parties are the same, and our elected officials don't really care about the people they represent. I also read a comment that Arkansas is so Gerrymandered that voting doesn't matter either.
Those are just a few reasons Arkansans do not participate by casting their ballot.
I also witnessed another reason people may not have voted during this election cycle. Cody did not vote because he travels and works during the times the polls are open, except on voting day. He could have got in line at 6:30 pm and stood in line for a few hours to cast his ballot, but after working all day that is the last thing that he wanted to do. I wonder how many other hard-working Americans feel the same way?
I have always believed in voting, and believe it's imperative to do so when you are trying to shape the community around you. How do we get others on board to vote, I wonder?
With all the technology that we have today, voting should be quick and painless for everyone. Also, counting those votes afterward could take very little time if we utilized today's technology.
Almost everyone has a cell phone or access to the internet these days. Since elections are left up to the states, Arkansas could have a website combined with an app that allows each user to log in and vote on election day. Arkansas already has a voter ID law, so the ID could be input while registering on the website and each person registered could cast a single vote.
Voting should be that simple. Just click on an App and cast your ballot. Each candidate's stance could be shared while citizens are choosing who represents them as well. They write out the other ballot initiatives tocandidates' read while voting, so candidates platforms should be available too.
Using technology to create a better democracy should be a no-brainer. We could all vote on the same day and all ballots could be quickly counted after the App polls close that day. It sounds so reasonable that our government may never go for it though.
Do you think we should use technology and update our archaic voting process?
I certainly do.
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Good day Kings and Queens! Until next time.
-Ryan
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