Sometimes I ask myself what goes through the minds of the American Voter. I wonder, do they vote because of a candidate’s specific issues, or because they just don’t like the other person. Or is it because they have been stuck in one political party for years. Or maybe it’s all of the above. Whatever the reason, it is becoming more and more difficult to believe that anything of great significance will ever get done in America. I have been around quite a few years, and it seems like many of the same problems have not been solved. In fact, many of the problems that have gone unsolved have been exacerbated causing even deeper divisions.
Before I continue with my opinion of the American Voter, I just want my readers to know I typically do some research using some more well known and some not so well know sources on the internet which is a solid foundation for the truth. JUST KIDDING. And you can always figure out what side the writer or media organization leans because they always have to sneak in a jab at the side they oppose.
According to the following data from The United States Census Bureau the total population of American Citizens of voting age (18+) on November 2020 was 231,593,000. The number of reported registered voters was 168,308,000. According to an NPR Article the vote total during the 2020 Presidential Election was approximately 158 Million. So approximately 94% of all registered voters went to the polls. That’s pretty amazing. I was always under the impression Americans didn’t vote in such great numbers. According to another NPR Article, actually by the same author, 80 Million Americans didn’t vote in the 2020 Presidential Election. Maybe my math is off but 80M + 158M = 238M that’s approximately 103% of citizens of legal voting age. But that’s a story for another blog post.
So, what motivates the voting public in America. It is a bit difficult to find information on the web that isn’t biased, or created using some so-called scientific method using a small sampling of voters. One article I found used data collected from voters in mathematical equations and many are just opinions. And because many people are not really comfortable discussing their voting habits, or the issues that are important to them, then I would imagine it’s not easy to get a true picture of what motivates the voting public.
So, I am going to share my own observations and opinions. I believe today, with such a diverse population, people vote out of selfishness. I don’t mean that in a terrible way, but we are divided into so many groups, that I believe people vote for individuals who are going to pander to their group or race, religious beliefs, or whatever makes them happy. This is different than my earlier years of voting when we took a more holistic approach to selecting someone for public office. Maybe this is why we never solve the bigger issues facing America. We don’t know how to look at the bigger picture when we elect individuals. Maybe if the American Voter, could agree on solutions to issues that are adequate for both sides, maybe they would start electing people that would do the same.