Why Can't I Vote?

It's the big day, November 3, election day. This is your chance to participate in government and fulfill your civic duty. You're not voting for just a new leader of a nation. You're voting to maintain an ideal and honor those who have fought and died for such an ideal. The right to vote has been fought for throughout the history of The United States and many groups have fought to assure every U.S. Citizen can cast a ballot. Now the time has come for you to participate in a time-honored tradition, but there's one small problem. When you get your designated polling site, you're told you're not allowed to vote because your name Joe-Shmoe isn't listed with a hyphen in the voter registration system. You're the only Joe-Schmoe in the county; there's no way you could be impersonating someone else, but since your driver's license doesn't say JoeShmoe. You're denied the right to vote in that year's election. This hypothetical situation, while entirely fictional, isn't far off from what happens to many citizens living in states with strict voting laws. Are you afraid the thing that happened to Joe could happen to you? Have no fear; today, you're going to learn about all the many ways people are kept from voting in the great state of Texas. Once you learn about how you're kept from voting and what can be done to prevent it, you've won half the battle.  

Texas has some of the most strict voter registration laws in the nation. To become a registered voter in the state of Texas, everything must be done by hand, and deputized voter registrars can only register you. What does that mean to you? Well, if you are going to school in San Antonio and you're from Houston, a Bexar County Registrar can not register you to vote, unless given explicit permission from your county's election official. Texas registrars can only register residents within their home county and adjacent counties. This might not seem like a big problem at face value, but you should understand, most other states in the U.S. don't have such strict policies. Another policy that might prevent you from voting is missing the voter registration deadline. Several States allow all their residents to register on the day of an election. If you don't register by an arbitrary date, you're barred from participating in democracy. 

The last major obstacle voters face is harsh voter ID laws. Texas has historically disenfranchised minorities and people of color from voting, and strict voter ID laws affect these communities the most. Voter ID laws are in place to prevent voter impersonation, and support the integrity of democracy. Protecting democracy is of the utmost importance, and a system should be in place to prevent fraudulent results. Still, voter impersonation isn't that big of an issue in Texas or the U.S., and when a person is found trying to impersonate a voter, they are given a $10000 fine and could be imprisoned for five years. Issues that have been proven to actually affect our voting system, such as vote-buying, vote tapering, and ballot stuffing, are all not addressed by ID laws.

Restrictive laws make it harder to vote, and a problematic voting process takes time from people's already busy lives. The friction caused by voting laws causes people not to want to vote, and if people don't vote, we don't have reflective democracy. Voting should be an easy, simple, and seamless process that is inclusive for all citizens. For years technological advancements have improved the lives of many Americans, and it's time for technology to enhance the experience of voting. Through tech electrons can become more secure and prevent all the previously mentioned issues that need to be addressed. If more up to date technology is introduced to the voting system, a possible rise in voter turnout could arise due to it. There's only one way to see a change in the current voting system, and that is by calling your state representative, informing others about the current issues, and last but certainly not least remembering to vote!!!