American history is a history of non-voters. Onerous registration requirements, disinformation, gerrymandering, apathy, and even laziness are just some of the problems. It’s time to make voting cool.
We had a group of 17 year old Uruguayan Youth Ambassadors staying with us last February. We talked a lot about what voting looks like - their country has automatic voter registration at the age of 18. Election Day is a National Holiday and the kids described it as a party - families gather and they all walk to the polls and cast their ballots together, bringing the children along to see the process. Uruguay also has compulsory voting with a fine imposed if you do not vote.
Until hearing from these very engaged young people about what this model could look like, it felt impossible. And seeing our system through their eyes was very sobering.
We had a group of 17 year old Uruguayan Youth Ambassadors staying with us last February. We talked a lot about what voting looks like - their country has automatic voter registration at the age of 18. Election Day is a National Holiday and the kids described it as a party - families gather and they all walk to the polls and cast their ballots together, bringing the children along to see the process. Uruguay also has compulsory voting with a fine imposed if you do not vote.
Until hearing from these very engaged young people about what this model could look like, it felt impossible. And seeing our system through their eyes was very sobering.
What do you think about democracy vouchers?