Would your rather have a bun.. or a cheeseburger?

Jason Davis Ian McClendon Natasha Ashby Aaron Johnson

Jason Davis

**Rewards & Consequences For Voting**

For hundreds of years, different groups of people in America have been continuously fighting for the right vote. From white men, to black men, to women, and even age. Unfortunately, many Americans of today's generation take the sacrifices of our ancestors for granted. While many americans fought for democracy and the right to vote, many of today's American's are apathetic to choosing they're leaders. When most countries propose rewards or consequences for voting, America remains passive about forcing citizens to vote. Although the government encourages people to vote, they should be more forceful. Offering rewards or threatening with consequences can be an affective way to increase voting percentages in the U.S.

In Peru, citizens that vote are given a card to carry around for the next two months to prove that they participated in the election. This card permits people access to certain governmental services and goods in the area. Americans may take this as unconstitutional, but this can be an example of a reward that could be given for voters. Another example is that there can be a small percentage of tax relief for voters. However that may conflict with the policies that voters are voting for, such as candidates that plan to raise taxes, it may be senseless to give tax relief to voters.

An example of a harsh consequence would be to deny social security for or health benefits for people who don't vote. Some may also view this as unconstitutional, but it may be a sensible way to push people to vote. The only problem is the target for young voters. Some young voters may be apathetic to this, because health benefits and social security may not be as crucial to them as it is to the elderly. But all of these are examples of ways for the government to push people to vote. They may not be appealing, but none the less, they can be effective.

Natasha Ashby - Videoo!

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Ian McClendon - Poster

Aaron Johnson
 * Rebuttal Paper**

American citizens, over the age of 18, if registered, have the right to vote. It is their chance to give their opinion on political affairs and who they feel is the best choice for a president, senator, governor, etc. People who do not vote should not be given the opportunity to complain about anything regarding the government because they didn’t give their say when it actually counted: during the elections. However, people who do vote should not be given any special privileges or prizes.

The people who vote may be doing what they are supposed to do as American citizens, but they should not be given any special treatment of any kind. As a citizen, people simply cannot expect to receive special advantages for doing something they should want to do and that they should do. Voting is a chance for everyday citizens to speak their mind in the most affective way possible. Therefore, people should not be given any benefits for voting.

Many countries don’t give their citizens any input on who should rule the country. If a country has a king, the king’s first born son becomes the next king, and so on for generations to come. Since the citizens in countries like this must deal with what many may call these unfair circumstances, United States citizens should appreciate their ability to vote for their city, state, and country’s leaders.