Outside the Voting Booth
The start of the presidential conventions means the race to the November election is heading into the final turn. Are voters more interested or less apathetic than in past contests for the White House? Why? How big a factor will the youth vote be in this election? Do rising gas prices, the falling dollar, and the stagnant economy make a difference in who you support for president? Will the war in Iraq help you decide who gets your vote this year? How big an issue is health care to you in this election? Is the two-party system still effective?
Getting Involved in the Political Process
A student at the College of William and Mary, Matt Beato ran for city council in Williamsburg, Va., in 2008. Certainly younger than “an average” candidate, Matt decided that the local city government could be more effective if it accurately represented all of its constituencies. It turns out Matt didn’t win the election, but he thinks he made a statement for young people in Williamsburg.
Open Elections
Our popular vote is invalidated by an election system that was designed by the political parties, to maintain their control. This complicated, costly election process marginalizes citizens’ votes, rewards the party hacks, and gives undue power to political insiders. Politicians and money interests have appropriated our wishes in this archaic election procedure.
Democracy the Winner in New Hampshire
The most surprising news from the New Hampshire primary may have been how wrong the opinion-poll predictions were. Most gave Democrat Barrack Obama double-digit leads going into Tuesday’s voting. But Hillary Clinton won. Though the polls were right about the Republican contest, pundits were stunned. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews called for an inquiry on polling methodology. A colleague said that in future we should put more trust in the American people and wait for the voters to decide. Matthews said, “But then what will we do?”
