With the 2024 election having passed, people have voted for not just the President, but also the House of Representatives, multiple Senators, governors, and other positions in government. However, there is a massive problem with our election system.
In the 2020 election, only 66% of the voting population actually cast a ballot. This means a third of our country did not contribute to who their president should be, and this can swing elections.
In the 2016 election, the critical states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania were collectively decided by less than 80,000 votes with millions of people not voting.
To help fix this issue, the United States should make voting mandatory with a hefty fine to those that fail to cast a ballot without legitimate reason. This system already exists in Australia and Brazil, with both countries having a significantly higher voter turnout than the United States.
WJPS guidance counselor Ms. Paplow agreed with this sentiment, and said, “I think voting should be mandatory because everyone is equally represented and gets their opinion accounted for.”
However, WJPS technology specialist Mr. Myrtil said, “I think we shouldn’t because you have a right to vote, but you don’t have to vote.”
“Voting booths at Sedgwick Middle School, West Hartford, CT” by ragesoss is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
