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Changes between Past and Present Day Voting
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Have you ever thought about voting? Where did it begin and how has it changed? Who had the right to vote? Well, voting hasn’t always been easy and available to everyone. The first known voting was in Ancient Greece. In the Year 508 BC, male land owners votes were written on broken pots or ostraka. These votes were not for who was to be elected but rather who they wanted to exile from politics. In Medieval Times, men voted for the candidates that they found acceptable and the one with the most votes was the winner. This was the beginning of voting by approval, which is more like our system today. Since the founding of America, voting has changed dramatically. In early America, black people and women were unable to vote. In 1860, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments gave former slaves the right to vote, but in the South, when African Americans would arrive at the polls and try to vote, they were rejected. They legally didn’t start voting until the 1960s when they established the Voting Right Act. For the Women, in America, it was the 19th amendment that gave them the right to vote in 1920. During the Vietnam War, many 18 year olds were drafted to fight in wars. People believed that if 18 years old had to go and die in a war, they should be able to vote. So in the 26th amendment they changed the voting age from 21 to 18. Today every legal citizen has the right to vote, with the exception of convicted felons. Before the mid-1800’s, voters would be sworn in and give a voice vote in front of many citizens and candidates. People believed that if they had the right to vote in private more people would want to vote and so began the secret ballot box. Men would write their votes and place them in the ballot box. As technology evolved, so have the voting machines. There have been punch machines, machines that used levers to mark your vote, and now electronically scanned votes. As time progresses, there is sure to be a faster, more accurate way to vote. Could it possibly be by e-mail or even texting your vote in?! Only time will tell.
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| Are you a Democrat or Republic?
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The closer it comes to election time the more heated the discussions in many houses become. Families are divided, with one parent being a “liberal” Democrat and one parent being a “conservative” Republican. So, what exactly makes a person a Democrat or a Republican? Or for that matter, a libertarian or a member of the Green party? There is no one thing that defines a person to a certain political party. As many people think about the major issues affecting our world today, everyone is finding form opinions and beliefs about these issues and how they should be dealt with. Then it is easy to compare the political parties and find the one that shares others beliefs or at least a major chunk of them. Now, many people wonder where those political beliefs come from? Well, the way in which many people think about the issues and how forming their beliefs is based on where a person comes from, culture, religion, and ethnicity and up bringing. Family, friends and the media influence more of your opinions. With all these things and people to influence us, it is amazing that some people ever reach their own opinion, but they do! Once it becomes clear in everyone’s mind that they are either a Democrat or a Republican or a member of one of the lesser-known parties, it is off to the polls. People flock to the polls to vote for the candidate who most closely represents their beliefs. That doesn’t mean that a democrat will always vote democratic or that a republican will always vote for a republican. A lot will depend on what is going on in the world and also on their own personal opinion of a certain candidate. As we get older and have more life experiences, the beliefs that were once held will be shifting and changing. It is possible; the people may be more closely aligned with a different political party, than they were when younger. It’s O.K., it’s progress.
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