Every Four years Americans storm the voting booths to vote for his or her presidential hopeful that could change the course of history.
There are numerous reasons to vote, which could be recited like the Pledge of Alliance. However why are millions of Americans not voting?
“There are millions of people who are voting and just my single one does not count. First, look at who we have to for vote for, no thank you,” Chris Leyon, a college student who sees nothing of value in his vote, said. Leyon echoes an opinion that none of the candidates are great choices and voting for either would be a waste of time.
Melissa Pires who has immigrant parents said she did not vote because Americans will always get the person who they wanted elected.
“If America is really sexist, homophobic or trans-phobic the winner of this election will reflect it and my vote will not change that at all. By Trump winning the circus of an election this proves to be true.”
Although many voters both young and old may agree with Leyon and Pires, throughout many elections the same reasons for not voting have shown up numerous times. Like those college students, many feel that their vote doesn’t matter, and because of that they won’t vote. Also the way we can register to vote is also a deciding reason someone may or may not vote.
Thomas Williams, an out of state student, said he didn’t vote because he couldn’t make it home, which is where he’s registered to vote.
“I would love to vote, but I am not registered in Presque Isle,” he said.
This year Presque Isle allowed people to sign up the day of to register to vote if they had a form of identification and proof of address. As the line to register was longer than any line to sign in at the poll, it seemed that this method attracted many more voters.
According to the New York Times, one reason some don’t vote is how they’re raised.
“If you’re college educated, reasonably affluent, a homeowner with kids,” Adam Nickerson, a reporter for the New York Times, said. “Then chances are most of your neighbors and the people you speak to also vote—there’s a cultural norm there. Whereas if you grow up in a poorer immigrant population, where many of your neighbors might not even be citizens, there may be less social expectation and social pressure to vote.”
“I actually think it is the opposite. My father who normally calls me once a day called over twelve times on Election Day until I picked up and said that I must vote. He said it in a stern voice as If I was getting grounded, because when he came to this country it took him over 15 years after to get his right to vote. This has always be my dad’s way of thinking that this is a privilege that many are not able to have, so why waste it,” college student Lassana Dorleh said whose parents are immigrants and black.
Although Dorleh may have strong feelings about voting, millions of Americans do not feel that way.
“In recent decades 40 to 50 percent of eligible voters have failed to turnout in presidential election years,” according to New York Times reporter Campbell Robertson.
As of November 6, 2016 46.6 percent of Americans didn’t vote.
