Voting Is Essential. It Is Also Overrated.
Want to change the world, or even just a few laws? Then you’ll need protesters, party activists, campaign donors, reporters ...
That’s just the start.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images North AmericaProtests across America have prompted discussion about the value of different types of political action. There is even debate about how useful voting is. Unfortunately, our political culture and (mostly non-existent) civics education do a really poor job of explaining the role of voting in the U.S. and how it relates to democracy.
Our political culture envisions voting as the fundamental act of democracy. Moreover, it is generally thought of in its ideal form as an individual, rational act. We’re told to vote the person, not the party. We’re supposed to study the “issues” and base our votes on which candidate comes closer to us on policy questions.