IndexVoter ID LawsGerrymanderingEarly Voting ProgramsConclusionAmerica is a democracy. It claims to be a place where the free exchange of ideas takes place. In most cases, America guarantees citizens both political and individual freedom. However, there are some minor aspects of the political system that serve to undermine the democratic process in America. Strict voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and cuts to early voting programs are three ways the democratic process is being undermined in America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Democracies are about freedom and equality. A true democratic process involves the division of power among the people. In a true democracy a certain group of people should not have greater electoral power than another group of people. If some votes are discredited or belittled, the democratic process is likely to be inauthentic or involve elements of deception. American politics is generally fair and equitable. On paper anyone can register and cast their vote. However, the American political system has several deceptive ways for politicians to weaken the political power of certain groups of voters. The tactics usually involve an alternative message to the audience. It would obviously be damaging to politicians' reputations if they openly declared that they are manipulating legislation to suppress political opposition. Instead, they usually cite alternative goals that are not always legitimate. A thorough examination of policies and data reveals that many of the reasons cited are not always realistic or even a big problem in the first place. Voter ID Laws Voter ID laws are an example of slightly deceptive policies. Politicians say their aim is to prevent voter fraud. Of course, most people agree that voter fraud should not occur in a democracy. However, voter fraud is not a widespread occurrence. According to a study carried out, only 2,068 cases of electoral fraud have occurred since 2000 (Bialik). When broken down on an annual basis, that number translates to 147 cases of voter fraud per year. This data comes from across the United States (Bialik). The legislation should address important issues. While it is possible that many more cases of voter fraud will go undiscovered, the numbers are still dramatically small. Even elections in small districts see the participation of thousands of voters. If a candidate wanted to cheat an election by paying off fraudulent voters, then they would have to do so on a relatively large scale (Parson). The small number of discovered cases of voter fraud is evidence that legislative efforts are probably more interested in something else than stopping a minor problem. If voter ID laws aren't really interested in stopping fraud, then what good are they? Strict voter identification laws can sometimes be used to suppress the votes of certain groups of people. For example, some stringent voter identification laws require multiple forms of identification. Many lower-class workers do not have multiple forms of identification. It is possible that they recently moved to the state and cannot afford to pay for all the paperwork required to obtain another form of identification. AlOn the contrary, people from other social classes can usually easily afford to obtain the required documentation. Therefore, strict voter identification laws affect lower-class people more than the rest of the population. From a political point of view it makes sense to suppress the voting power of members of the opposing party. The Democratic Party has a high number of minority members. The Republican Party is about to increase its chances of elections in swing states by suppressing the votes of minorities who are more likely to vote for the Democratic Party. Swing states are states where electoral races are tight. No political party holds a definitive majority. Therefore, swing states would be the best places to use deceptive tactics such as voter ID laws. While it is true that some voter fraud occasionally occurs, the number of minorities affected by strict voter ID requirements outweighs the number of potential fraud cases. The data reveals that voter fraud is not a common practice. There are thousands of minorities in different areas of America who would not be able to vote if voter ID laws were tightened in their district. When you compare this to the small number of voter fraud cases, it is clear that there is likely a hidden agenda in passing voter ID laws. The real reason is that politicians gain an advantage in elections by preventing a percentage of minority voters from expressing their political opinions. This practice weakens the democratic process in America. GerrymanderingGerrymandering is another way the democratic process is being undermined in America. Gerrymandering is a term that refers to the process of redrawing district lines (Lublin 3). In America, votes are divided into winner-take-all districts. This means that if a politician can selectively redraw district boundaries, they can do so in a way that gives their political party a better chance of winning the next election. For example, if two neighboring districts were evenly divided between Democratic and Republican support, a politician could strategically redraw the boundaries. By establishing a new district that would include a larger percentage of the vote, it would be possible to gain a political advantage and increase the chances of the candidate or party winning the next election (Lublin 48). The practice can also be used to weaken the opposition. If the opposing political party holds a majority in several large districts, it is sometimes possible to split those districts into smaller districts that do not have majority control. There are not many strong arguments in support of gerrymandering and the redistricting process. It is obviously necessary to redraw district boundaries in some cases where population numbers change dramatically. However, it is widely recognized that the practice has been abused by politicians in the past. Democracy means having equal voting power for all citizens. If someone lives in a gerrymandered area, it's possible that their vote won't count as much as that of someone else who lives in a different district. Therefore, gerrymandering weakens the democratic process in America. Early Voting Programs Early voting programs are designed to encourage new voters to take part in the democratic process. They typically offer incentives to new voters, such as shorter times in line at the polls, the ability to vote before other people, and an overall expedited voting process. Aprogram is called “Souls to the Polls” and aims to encourage the participation of church voters and many African-American communities (Gillispie). Sometimes such programs are cut in some areas, probably due to attempts to suppress the political power of minorities. True democracy is about everyone having a say in what they want from government. Early voting programs are beneficial to democracy because they encourage political involvement. Programs are being cut in some areas because they are deemed unfair. They give new voters a preference in the process and allow them to have certain benefits that longtime voters are not entitled to. Democracy is also about fairness. In some ways, people are right when they argue that early voting programs give an unfair advantage to new voters. However, this is a short-term benefit that usually only applies to their first voting experience. If people complain that it's not good because democracies are about fairness, then those same people should also realize that political participation is another important element of democracies. While the programs give new voters a leg up, they also strengthen the overall democratic process by engaging more voters. The practice of removing early voter programs can be used to gain political advantage. Because the programs primarily target minorities and people without a political background, cutting them decreases the chances that members of these groups will vote. From a political party's perspective, political advantage can be gained by cutting early voter programs that would otherwise have led to more votes for the opposing party. The evidence that exists to support the idea that certain tactics are used for political advantage comes from several sources. In the case of strict voter identification requirements, there are two sources of evidence. One is the low amount of voter fraud that actually occurs. If the laws were actually intended to stop fraud, it is likely that they would have targeted other, much more widespread forms of fraud. Additionally, there are also numerous swing states that have voter ID restrictions. If the real goal was to decrease cases of voter fraud, then it is likely that all states, or at least a substantial portion, would implement these practices. However, the data reveals that competitive states have high concentrations of stringent voter ID laws. This serves as an indicator that there may be a hidden political strategy behind voter ID laws. The publicly stated goal of reducing fraud may not be the sole purpose of such policies. The same concept applies to gerrymandering. If some competitive districts redraw lines more frequently than the rest of the country, then it is possible that different reasons for redistricting exist. If the true purpose of redistricting was simply to divide highly populated areas, then it is reasonable to assume that it would be implemented in many different areas. Redistricting occurred more frequently during election periods than in other periods, which is another indication that it is sometimes used to gain political advantage. Similar to both issues, early voting programs also occur in many swing states and during election periods. An interesting point about early voting programs is that they may be used by the Democratic Party to gain more support during elections.