Introduction to Governments #2.5 - Voting in Democracy

Voting: In Context

A crucial aspect of Western representative democracies is the ability of citizens to vote in elections. These elections are designed to help voters decide on representatives who should hold public office (e.g. Parliamentary elections for Members of Parliament etc). Once a citizen reaches the age of majority (generally 18 years old), they are eligible to register and join the electorate (all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote). This registration entitles them to vote in all and any elections that apply to them.

Voting is a key aspect of modern representative democracies. It offers citizens a voice in their government and allows them to choose representatives that will represent their ideas and interests. By no small measure is voting one of the most wonderful aspect of democracy. It is a fair and equitable way to ensure all citizens voices are heard.

Voting systems vary from country to country, but each system aims to support the democratic process and ensure citizens are heard. However, these systems can be tampered with and give fraudulent and unrepresentative results. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to all democracies that the voting processes remain a sacrosanct unadulterated process.

Voting and the process of counting votes has become a key issue in the current US presidential election.

This election has been characterised by being very heated, divisive and heavily contested. Furthermore, the current global pandemic has not helped matters. In response to the pandemic, many American voters opted to use mail in ballots. These ballots have been an election issue, with the incumbent President Donald Trump alleging widespread voter fraud with these ballots. Despite the fact all forms of postal voting have safeguards and have been used in prior US elections. His allegations have not been proved.

At present, the race depends on voting results in the key battleground states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada. These states are counting the remaining ballots, the majority of which were mailed in. The margins between President Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden, in some of these states are neck and neck. The outcome of the race rests on these states and so these votes are of the highest importance.

Tensions are high, with President Trump falsely claiming a premature victory and calling a block to counting any further ballots. In response to these calls to “Stop the Vote”, many cities saw “Count the Vote” rallies. The election hangs on a knife edge and the current political environment is very tense. It is crucial that all legal and valid votes are counted to ensure a fair outcome.