I think the education is tricky, as you have competing interests and you have people countering education by calling it indoctrination. A huge part of the foundation for the situation today started with the conservative radio shows and fox news stepping up to start undermining education, to eventual great effect.
The engagement I kind of have the opposite view. If you can’t be bothered to understand the candidates and the issues, then you shouldn’t feel pressure to vote.A lot of engagement efforts say “you should be ashamed if you don’t vote, it doesn’t matter how you vote but just vote”. If you are there to just “mark your team” or fill in the ballot according to whatever person hands you a pre-filled “ballot guide” on the way in the door, maybe don’t sweat voting. Voting for an outcome without any effort to understand the consequences of that vote is worse than abstaining from a vote.
I can understand there are a lot of races, and my response is that there would be no shame in voting only for the races you can educate yourself about. A partial ballot is fine.
Well… Yes. This is more or less true. But that’s an argument to increase education and engagement, not to discard the whole system.
I think the education is tricky, as you have competing interests and you have people countering education by calling it indoctrination. A huge part of the foundation for the situation today started with the conservative radio shows and fox news stepping up to start undermining education, to eventual great effect.
The engagement I kind of have the opposite view. If you can’t be bothered to understand the candidates and the issues, then you shouldn’t feel pressure to vote.A lot of engagement efforts say “you should be ashamed if you don’t vote, it doesn’t matter how you vote but just vote”. If you are there to just “mark your team” or fill in the ballot according to whatever person hands you a pre-filled “ballot guide” on the way in the door, maybe don’t sweat voting. Voting for an outcome without any effort to understand the consequences of that vote is worse than abstaining from a vote.
I can understand there are a lot of races, and my response is that there would be no shame in voting only for the races you can educate yourself about. A partial ballot is fine.