In some countries, it is considered illegal not to vote. On Election Day, if you do not cast your ballot at all, you may get a fine in the mail for two, three, maybe even five hundred dollars. Is this too harsh of a punishment? In these free countries, should people have the choice to vote or not?

In America, it is completely up to the citizens if they want to vote or not. I can see both sides of this argument. In one way, it is a freedom of the people that they can choose to vote. When people are required (by law) to vote, it takes away some of their freedom. However, if those people do not vote, a democracy is hurt very badly, almost to the point of uselessness. When people do not participate in elections, it shows not only their apathy toward the candidates and issues, but also their collective thoughts that voting is useless.

In order for a democracy to truly work, people have to get involved. In such a great nation filled with so much potential, it takes the entire nation to make that potential into something even greater. In a government for the people and by the people, it takes (you guessed it!) the people to make sure that the government runs and does its job.

Albeit, creating laws that prohibit voter apathy may be a little harsh, it should not even be an issue. People should care about their government and the state of their nation. That should be something that every person in every free nation in the world (especially America) should demonstrate. In America, we are especially lucky to have so many people that are so involved in politics. We care greatly about our nation, and whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, or whatever, you care about your nation. As Americans with rights and privileges, we also have responsibilities. It’s funny, but I keep thinking about the line in the movie “Spider-Man” that states: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

We have great power in America, and we also have great responsibility. It is up to the people to decide things in this country, and without the people involved, it does not work properly. The topic of requiring people to vote should not even be discussed, because in such a free society, we should all have the responsibility to keep ourselves informed and well-educated about the issues at hand. That shouldn’t be the law; that should be our responsibilities. I am glad to see so many young people coming out to vote for this presidential election this year. It shows a greater awareness among the population that we, as Americans, are becoming more united than we have been in the past couple of decades. And that’s wonderful.