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When it comes to voting for president of the United States, most people find that they are voting for the lesser of two – or more – evils. Instead of voting for the lesser-known candidate who could be the better president, many people vote for the candidates who get the most media attention. This way, they do not feel that their vote is being “wasted.”
Political races are popularity contests. Whomever the media likes most gets the most attention. Whoever gets the most media coverage gains more money and even more media coverage. When someone is constantly in the papers and on the nightly newscasts people gain trust that said candidate could win. It is not a perfect system, far from it. Caucuses only support these imperfections.
The caucus system, which Maine and other states have in place, keeps us further from having a true democratic process. Caucuses do not allow individuals to vote for whom they want; they force people who would prefer a lesser-known candidate to join the masses. By doing this, it not only stunts voters’ voices but also diminishes these candidates’ chances.
In primaries, votes for less-popular candidates are counted. This means the press can report on who gets how much support, which can lead to additional funding for these candidates. Additional funding can mean advertising opportunities and other advantages.
Caucuses also seem to take longer than primaries. In primaries, you take a ballot, fill in the box and hand it to the town clerk instead of sitting in a room arguing with people who have already made up their minds and then possibly having to choose a candidate whom you didn’t want to support in the first place.
People who support the caucus system argue that this allows opportunities to be in contact with their community and share information and ideas. This seems beyond outdated. We are in a time period that allows free, independent research. It would be a different world if everyone was well informed and willing to seek their own information from multiple sources. The Internet, television and other mass-media platforms deliver information to whoever wants it. With this technology, voters can find candidates whom they want to support and get their own facts. We no longer need to bicker with our neighbors about who is the best candidate. This is not to say you shouldn’t, but do so on your own time, please.
People may find if they look at less popular candidates, they won’t have to issue-vote – they can get everything they want in their candidate with no sacrifice.
When people vote for whom they think will win, who is the most popular, who has the most money, they give up their freedom to choose who leads the country we live in.
If everyone used their state’s primary or caucus to vote for who they wanted to win – not who is the most popular – and if the systems in place would be open-minded enough to let them, maybe we could achieve change. Voting for the best candidate is not a waste.
Heather Steeves is a third-year journalism major who would like to block the caucus process.
Bangor Daily News