Monica Anderson
Politics of Persuasive Communication
Dr. Meltzer
December 11, 2008
Barriers to Voting:
How the Electoral Process Disengages the Electorate
and Hinders Voter Turnout
The 2008 Presidential election was a highly contested and historical
election. It sparked an interest in politics that had long been absent. Prior to
November 4, experts predicted an unprecedented voter turnout, even rivaling
the 1960 election, which holds the record for voter turnout. Although, voter
turnout for the 2008 presidential election is estimated at sixty-one percent it
fell short of media estimates (Przybyla). This begs the question, with the
excitement surrounding this key election, why did the numbers not reflect the
frenzy leading up to election night?
In The Vanishing Voter, Patterson investigates the lack of voter
participation in American elections. He cites the sensationalized nature of the
media, long election cycle, and voting registration difficulties as reasons for
the shrinking voting electorate. Although his critique does not explore the past
two presidential elections, it poses relevant questions of how voter fatigue,
media incompetence, and institutional barriers to voting impede the electoral
process. Along with Patterson’s critique, I will use Jamieson’s argument of
how today’s journalists hinder democracy, as well as draw on class lectures
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regarding voter intimidation and misinformation that prevents many citizens
from taking part in the voting process.
The Media
In today’s fast paced society, news programming is increasingly short,
swift, and direct. In doing so, thoughtful analysis is often absent from political
coverage. Pattern proclaims “the American press is at a crossroads”, citing
journalists’ dilemma to either inform or entertain (65). Media has an insatiable
appetite for drama; therefore, the press frequently focuses more on events
than policy. This type of coverage is not beneficial for voters (Patterson, 62).
Additionally, reporters have segued from informing the public to becoming
personality driven critics (Jamieson, 173). Jamieson emphasizes the
importance of the press holding elected officials accountable; she argues that
journalists are more concerned with sensationalized storytelling than
investigating the validity of a candidate’s claims. This is expounded on here:
Television news primes our sense of what topics are important
and shapes the criteria by which we assess the competences of
our leader; by focusing on dramas of individuals, network
evening newscasts deflect blame from politicians. As a result,
politicians are not only held less responsible for the existence of
a problem but also less accountable for alleviating it. (Jamieson,
191)
Thus, the audience’s route to comprehensive unbiased information is
increasingly harder to navigate. This shift has led to the public becoming less
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informed and less engaged. Therefore, as potential voters seek information,
they must muddle through the vast wasteland of infotainment and
misinformation. This is detrimental to the electoral process because voters
become discouraged and disengaged when confronted with political analysis
that is both stilted and overwhelming.
Voter Fatigue
The long election cycle has negative effects on voter participation.
Voters are constantly inundated with candidate’s speeches, debates, photoops, interviews, and media events. This lengthy process stifles interest, as
voters must endure monotonous coverage that neither informs nor engages
(Patterson, 101). These repetitive events spans months even years as media
speculation surrounds the candidates. For example, the 2008 presidential
race recently concluded, however, speculation of the 2012 Republican
presidential candidates has already begun to circulate. Furthermore,
beginning the electoral process early does not necessarily correlate to a more
informed citizenry (Patterson, 127). In the early stages of a presidential race
many people are not following the campaign; also, because information is put
forth does not mean that the information is received or processed (Patterson,
127).
Additionally, as mentioned above, media tends to cover only those
events that they deem “newsworthy”. Thus, even if potential voters retained
information from the election cycle, the information may not be beneficial. For
example, NPR produced a segment in June of 2007 regarding voter fatigue
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and early debates (Roberts). The segment theorized how effective early
debates where on informing voters and concluded that the benefits were
limited. In the end, shortening the election cycle would reduce voter fatigue,
force the press to focus on relevant issues, and foster greater political
participation.
Voting Barriers
Our electoral system is credited with providing voting access to all
Americans. Those eligible to vote, register in their respective directs, and cast
their ballots on Election Day. However, the process is often much more
complex, in that, institutional barriers, social constraints, and arbitrary
deadlines stifles civic engagement. To begin with, the Electoral College
discourages voter participation (Patterson, 137). Citizens who reside in less
populated states are less likely to be engaged due to the small number of
electoral votes to be gained. Furthermore, following the 2000 Presidential
election, much of the dialogue focused on the failure of the Electoral College
system. This is described here:
The Electoral College has always been a bit of an odd institution
from the perspective of modern American eyes," said Charles
Shanor, professor of law at Emory University in Atlanta. "We tend
to think of ourselves as a democracy where we vote directly for
our elected officials. But with respect to the president and vice
president, we do not vote directly for our elected officials. We
vote for electors to vote for the elected official." (Drash)
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This problematic and out-dated system is a constant barrier in presidential
elections; it hinders the democratic process, disillusions citizens, and
decreases voter participation.
As the Electoral College diminishes American’s faith in the democratic
process, social inequalities also diminish voter participation. Marginalized
groups are less likely to participate due to socioeconomic status, accessibility,
and historically embedded notions of politics (Lanning, 431). That is, those
who faced voter disenfranchisement in the past are less likely to participate in
the present. People who categorize themselves as racial minorities, lowincome, and uneducated face tremendous obstacles to registering to vote and
participating in the electoral process. They are often less informed and less
likely to vote because of time constraints (Lanning, 431).
The government however refuses to address their specific needs.
Instead of establishing a more efficient policy new laws are enacted to inhibit
certain groups from registering to vote. For example, particular states require
multiple forms of identification, therefore, if you are poor, elderly, homeless, or
simply do not have the means to obtain proper identification you are not
allowed to vote (Guest Lecture). Patterson proclaims that the 30-day deadline
prior to the election to register to vote is unnecessary and hinders participation
(133). He proposes same-day registration as a strategy to alleviate voter
disenfranchisement. This plan will streamline the registration process and
diminish registration misinformation, thus creating a more inclusive voting
process.
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Discussion and Conclusion
Those citizens who are actively engaged devote time to fact checking,
locating alternative forms of media, and creating a dialogue amongst other
citizens. These citizens are cognizant of the complex political issues and trust
the political system to be democratic, fair, and just. However, these citizens do
no represent the reality of the situation. For millions of Americans, the election
season is not a time of deep reflection and thought; it is instead a time
wrought with negative campaigning, propaganda, and information overload.
Moreover, many Americans who are eligible to vote do not do so because of
electoral obstacles, which include complicated registration processes, long
election periods, and media incompetence. Furthermore, people who do not
traditionally vote are those who are often in need of policy initiatives and
reforms. Their stories are often negated; even as, voter participation has risen
in the past three presidential elections, there must be a continual push to
eradicate voting barriers.
Patterson puts forth a compelling argument by framing the electoral
process in terms of injustices rather than ignoring the difficulties that still exist.
In addition, Jamieson’s critique offers insight into the power of the media and
how influential press coverage is on presidential election and voter
participation. They offer recommendations of holding the media accountable,
shortening the election season, and eliminating many voter registration
restrictions. Although these recommendations seem simplistic, implementation
will be extremely difficult. The nature of today’s election process will not
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change easily or swiftly. In closing, we must continue to engage in thoughtful
dialogue regarding the failures of our electoral system, but we, also must push
through theoretical frameworks and enact real, substantial change for all
Americans.
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Works Cited
Drash, Wayne. Tight Election puts Electoral College under Microscope.
CNN.com senior editor. November 13, 2000.
Lanning, Kevin. Democracy, Voting, and Disenfranchisement in the
United States: A Social Psychological Perspective
Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction
and Democracy. 1993: Oxford University Press.
Patterson, Thomas E. The Vanishing Voter. 2003: Vintage Press.
Przybyla, Heidi. Obama Won Without Voter-Turnout Surge Experts
Had Predicted. Dec. 2, 2008.
Roberts, Cokie. Early Debates Could Spark Voter Fatigue. Morning
Edition. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10693494
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