by Bob Branco
It’s happening everywhere. More and more people are staying home on Election Day. Our right to vote is either watered down or rejected, and this makes me very sad.
When I hear about these low voter turnouts, my initial reaction is that people don’t have time to go to the polls because they are too busy. However, after much thought, I realize what the problem really is. We are tired of establishment politicians who make empty promises. When we don’t see a trend toward improvement, we develop a lack of trust in politics to the point where it doesn’t matter who runs for office.
Let’s talk about modern culture. We have a Presidential candidate who emerged because of frustration over the establishment. Donald Trump is popular because he is different. People are looking for satisfaction whether Trump is a good Presidential candidate or not. However, is this a good thing for the country? If we believe Donald Trump is good Presidential material, that’s one thing, but if we vote for Trump simply because we are allowing him to use our emotions, that’s quite another thing.
I am also concerned that public schools are trending away from teaching history and civics. It’s at the point where students may be deprived of knowing how our country was formed. The more knowledge we have about the evolution of the United States and what our founding fathers expected, the more quality our vote has. It’s bad enough that many people aren’t voting, but it’s even worse when people vote for very casual reasons. Someone once told me that the reason why she voted for a particular candidate was because he was bucktoothed. When did being bucktoothed help make America great? I’d like to know.
In my opinion, there is only one way to keep people voting. Candidates need to keep their promises. That way, there will be more trust in future candidates because the present legislators are setting a good example.
About the Author
Bob Branco resides in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is a self-published author of four books. He is a community organizer, tutors persons with visual impairments, and has written columns for local and international organizations. Bob’s web site is www.dvorkin.com/robertbranco/.
