I love politics. I love talking and reading about politics and I wouldn’t mind participating in the political process some day.
I’m one of those people most decent folk dread talking to because my conversations usually end up about politics or current events.
Despite its importance to everyday life, many people, especially college age people, despise discussing politics. In our society, has become one of those taboo subjects people loathe bringing up in polite conversation.
This creates a rather significant problem. People in today’s society are encouraged more and more to vote. Recently campaigns have emerged to increase voter turnout, like P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die” and MTV’s “Rock the Vote,” but is this really a good idea?
An informed populace is the lifeblood of any democracy, but if people cannot take it upon themselves to become informed, should they really vote?
I am, by no means, a proponent of true democracy. Even if it were logistically possible to ensure every person’s vote was counted with no chance of tampering, I still would be against it.
Why, you ask? Because I don’t believe everyone should vote. Now, I didn’t say I don’t believe everyone should be able to vote, I said I don’t think everyone should vote.
Let me explain. When our forefathers founded the United States, they wanted to make sure that only white males who owned property could vote in elections.
They were literate, well-read and usually had experience in some form of statesmanship or another. In other words, they knew what was going on.
I think our forefathers had the right idea. They knew the general population was fickle and uninformed.
There are legions of uninformed, people who vote based on political campaign commercials, name plates and billboards. This is not how a people should be informed.
Some things are far too important to leave in the hands of the masses. Sometimes people should just stay home on election day.
Sean Cocca is a senior journalism major.