Voting is important since it enables the citizens to elect the officials of their choice. The elected officials will know who voted and who did not vote. If a certain neighborhood does not vote, the elected officials will pay less attention to the neighborhood since it offers no political benefit. Voting has a great impact on the government and public policies. Every citizen has his or her views on different issues, which are only aired through the elected officials (Rothstein 318).  Failure to vote results to ones view being undermined.

Elections are the key aspect for citizens to communicate their views with their representatives. The elected officials are meant to represent the views of the citizens. Democratic governments are only representative if they are elected. During campaigns, the political parties propose their policies to the voters. The voters use their vote to elect the best policies. Once elected, the politicians implement the policies presented during campaigns. In so doing the voters have a Democratic feeling of control over the government (Rothstein 320). However, the elected politicians may not always heed to their promised policies. They may want to fulfill their personal goals. In most cases, the politicians are considerate of their reelection. To secure a reelection, it is only wise for the politicians to pursue the promised policies. In this way, the elections are very effective in government control.

In the year 2000, Al Gore won the majority vote but George Bush won in the elector’s college. As per the Constitution of the United States, whoever wins in the elector’s college becomes the president. The electors who vote in the college comes from the States and are nominated by the winning candidate in the specific state. The voters directly determine the electors to proceed to the college through the presidential candidate they vote for (Coleman and Thomas 16). In the year 2000, the value of an individual vote was influential in determining the group of electors. The decision made by the electors from a certain state becomes the decision of the state. This clearly shows that the presidential elections of the year 2000 presented the value of every individual vote indirectly.

Voting is a form of political participation. Like all other participation forms, voting allows citizens to relay their points of view. Through voting, citizens communicate their aspirations on policies and governance by electing a candidate who stands for same such views. By voting, citizens expect to get a reward from the political system in terms of improved policies and better economy (Carpini, Delli and Lawrence 330). Such rewards are the major cause of other forms of participation such as protests. Thus, like all other forms of participation, voting is an effective way of achieving a common goal.

Every vote counts in that one’s vote counts in his/her state but do not count in the other state. The outcome of the state elections determines the electors to attend the elector’s college. The candidate running for president in a specific state has his/her group of electors. Thus, the winning candidates group of electors proceeds to the college. In this way, one’s vote counts in determining the group of electors to participate in the elector’s college. The electors in turn vote for the presidential candidate who is inline with their party’s policies, which indirectly portrays the views of the citizens. In this way, every vote counts indirectly in determining the presidential outcome of the elections.

 Work cited

Carpini, Michael X. Delli, Fay Lomax Cook, and Lawrence R. Jacobs. “Public deliberation, discursive participation, and citizen engagement: A review of the empirical literature.” Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci. 7 (2004): 315-344. Print

Coleman, Kevin J., and Thomas H. Neale. Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer. Huntington, NY: Novinka, 2001. Print.

Rothstein, Bo. “Creating political legitimacy electoral democracy versus quality of government.” American Behavioral Scientist 53.3 (2009): 311-330. Print

 
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