This letter is in response to the article “You should vote (and if you don’t you should be forced to),” as well as the opinion posted by Joe Mowery on Oct. 6. First of all, I would like to point out that Joe is correct in his interpretation of the first amendment; however, I would also like to provide another quote from Thomas Jefferson that will help me expand on this topic. Jefferson said, “An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic.” I supplied this quote because I believe it shows the key to a bigger voter turnout. I am sorry Mrs. Gartel, but forcing people to learn or vote cannot happen. Like Mr. Mowery said, our freedoms prevent such force upon our lives. This dilemma leaves us in an uncomfortable position; what would we rather do? Should we force our citizens to learn of the issues? Or perhaps we should sit back and let the others decide our fate?

I believe that this is where we need to focus our attention. It is clear that most voters are wealthy and educated white males (these are also the people that would not want uneducated citizens to vote so that the decision is left to those in power). It is also obvious that we are classically conditioned to naturally diffuse the responsibility of voting, simply because we have been told we can’t think and therefore we shouldn’t vote. And here lies our answer, let’s change the media and the mega corporations who tend to control our exposure to the campaigns of those running for office. With this change will naturally come the evolution of the voter and once an oppressed and uneducated being will become an informed and active citizen.

Joel Allen

Sophomore in Education