I wanted to put my foot in the water, and not knowing where to start, I dove into the deep end. My Question: Does our vote count? My answer: Yes and no, and a little in between. It was a quick facebook post that only had 8 or so comments, but they each were insightful .
Some People were quick to judge on some parts of the government. One, who works as an elected official, disliked the way that the system was ran! A few thought there were some small drawbacks but all in all felt that their thoughts were heard in the voting system.
I was ready to get the mix, but I wasn't ready for them to be so precise. A few of the examples were of Mitt Romney, the most recent election in Utah, and Local to Federal Government. In all, the responses came out to be 50/50, for against. Each person had their own thoughts on how to improve our local government. (except my sister that thought our local government was perfect in every way). Like any social media post nowadays, people were frantic about Federal Government as well, and I believe that had my post been more precise on the local government (if a Utah citizens vote counts) then people would be able to be even more precise.
Afterwards, I worked myself into a learning mode.
I made a list of what I knew:
I know that many people in Utah have felt that the voting process in Utah is out of balance. Many do not vote for a cause if they feel that they will not be heard. There are laws that are in place to organize, maintain, and create a free voting plane, so that all have the chance to vote and to propose. Utah law also states that the government retains the right to make changes to any proposition presented for the ballot.
Utah residents believe there is no separation between church and state creating a barrier for non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Then I made I list of what I didn't know:
How does the voting process work from start to finish? How is a Ballot Created? Why and how can the government change what we vote for? What prevents the possibility of losing a vote?
I made a list of what I would do:
I will make a Survey on SurveyMonkey.com regarding Voter involvement in the state of Utah that I will use as background for the population's beliefs.
The SLCC Library will be able to show me the information I am looking for about legal voting rights, etc.
And here's what I found:
My survey shows results that the majority (of those surveyed) felt as though their votes were unfair. Some did not vote or share their opinions, however many people seemed to research the topics they were voting for. Interestingly upon searching in the SLCC database library, I found several Acts and Reforms that restricted voting in certain groups. I also found in a book called “Discount Voting : Voter Registration Reforms and Their Effects” that describes (self apparently) the reforms and their effects, yet I could only read partial of the book, I need to find a hardcopy and I will filter it into my further information.
References:
Davis, E. G. (1995) ‘Restricting shareholder voting rights under the Utah Revised..’, Brigham Young University Law Review, 1995(4), p. 1297. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=9603150077&site=eds-live (Accessed: 27 September 2019).
Hanmer, M. J. (2009) Discount Voting : Voter Registration Reforms and Their Effects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=289519&site=eds-live (Accessed: 27 September 2019).