_Jessie Staley is a freshman studying political science at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about student life for The Maneater._
To put it bluntly, a large sum of the American population is uninformed. Democracy is the fundamental basis of our nation; yet, it is a major concept that Americans misinterpret.
Many people assume democracy means freedom, direct vote, liberty and civil rights. This is not the case. In the U.S., social justice and civil rights are a unique privilege. These concepts are not necessarily synonymous with democracy.
Misconceptions about the American government and democracy have been a major issue and campaigning tool in the 2016 election, by not only supporting voters but also by a particular presidential candidate. Several scare tactics have been effectively used in the presidential campaign which would be completely dissolved if the population understood their own rights, government and Constitution. The assumptions associated with the American democratic theory and the foundations of the American government create large populations of misinformed voters.
This is so devastating for the vote because it causes ignorant votes and social disturbances that would be nonexistent if everyone knew the facts.
Democracy, in the simplest of definitions, is a government in which leaders are voted through popular vote at regular intervals. There must be mass participation and government competition through multiple parties or representation. We do not have direct vote by the people. We have an electoral college that restricts the direct vote of the presidency to semi-representative. We do not have unconditional freedom and liberty.
This is not a modern issue, brought on by the corruption of the government or corporate monopolies. It is the design and purpose created and written by the founders in the Constitution. The American government was created as a representative republic, a form of indirect democracy, in which leaders are voted to represent populations of people, also known as our House Representatives and Senators. Our presidential elections are not even based on direct vote. The American presidential election is based a great deal on the vote of the electoral college.
Many people do not understand the reality of the American government and its foundations, or even democracy as a whole. A great proportion of this ignorance and grand assumptions are based on primary education. In grade school, nobody really defines democracy, or the multiple definitions and arguments regarding democracy. Teachers associate freedom and liberty and civil rights with democracy, instead of the American government.
Our sense of liberty, civil rights and pursuit of happiness, which actually meant property in the Declaration of Independence, are unique to us. It is not unique to democracy. It is not necessarily in the requirements for a democracy. However, the American persona certainly insinuates this. Direct vote is certainly not a requirement for democracy, or a part of American government, as many Americans believe.
It is a severe misconception that confuses and persuades many American voters. In order to make a proper, decisive vote, you must be informed and understand the capacity of your vote. Otherwise, you are being manipulated by the hearsay of others. I am not saying that the individual vote is not significant. It is.
The presidential elections are very important to our form of government, and they deserve to respected with truth and understanding. It should be very important to every voter, because it is a right that not everyone has. Our American government and nation have progressed more, as one of the larger countries, than any other country in such a short span of time. We are powerful; we are America. You should be proud to be an American, but you need to know what that means.
