An Informed Electorate?

It's a question that proponents of Democracy have long struggled with: the uninformed citizen. In a society, such as our, that values each individual as being equal in the eyes of the law, regardless of race, gender, color or creed, the principal of "one man, one vote" has been the corner stone of our civil society. But, that is nice in theory; but in practice, there are many who do not bother to inform themselves on the issues, but still vote. This gives rise to the question: is it better to make an uninformed vote or not vote at all?

The foundation of our democracy is based on the participation of every able citizen in the political process. Informed or not, it is critical that every citizen who can vote, votes. Though, it is certainly unfortunate that those who vote don't always take the time to inform themselves, it is more important that we have a truly participatory democracy.

Why is it important to have as many people as possible participating in the political process? Well, first of all, there's the moral imperative. Thousands of Americans died to free us from colonial rule, hundreds of thousands died to help free the world from the scourge of fascism and thousands more have died to help us live in safety and security here at home. To sit back and not devote 30 minutes of your day to voting when good men and women have died for your right to do so, is morally unconscionable.

But more than that, it is your duty as an American to participate in the political process and to inform yourself of the issues. We have a representative political system, but if people don't participate in the system, can it really be a true "representative" system? If the foundation of our democracy is the participation of every able citizen in the political process, is it that much of a stretch to say that any American who realistically can, but doesn't vote is undermining the foundation of our political system? A representative system is only representative if enough people vote to lend it legitimacy. If only 5% of people voted, is that representative? Is 70%? I don't know where the line is, but I do know it's incumbent on every American to vote, even if they don't inform themselves on the issues.