THE GIFTS OF DEMOCRACY?

[daddybear]

"VOTING FOR THE GIFTS OF DEMOCRACY"
<a href=" http://www.MelvinDurai.com/vote.htm ">Web Column</a>

In a perfect world, everyone would want to vote in the
upcoming election, everyone would want to exercise a right
that many Americans have fought and died for, everyone would
want to decide the future of Iraq.

But poor voter participation seems inevitable -- and not
just in the Iraqi election. Even in America, where democracy
has existed for decades, only about half of eligible voters
will enter a polling booth during the presidential election.
And some of them will immediately leave, saying, "Sorry, I
thought that was the restroom." A few of the rest will
occupy the booth for several minutes, then walk out and say,
"Excuse me, I pushed all the buttons and pulled the lever.
When do I find out if I've won something?"

Other voters, even some outside Florida, will accidentally
cast their ballots for the wrong candidate. In the 2000
election, for example, more than a handful went to the polls
intending to vote for Al Gore, but got confused and ended up
voting for Gore Vidal. Vidal would have finished in third
place, but unfortunately some of his supporters got confused
and ended up voting for Vidal Sassoon. Yes, democracy can be
a vicious cycle. And if you think it's bad in America,
imagine what it'll be like in the Middle East: "Excuse me,
but I forgot which Ahmed I was supposed to vote for."

When you consider all the failed attempts at casting a vote,
you begin to realize the importance of getting more people
to vote, especially people who are somewhat stable. But
sadly, many Americans don't realize they live in a
democracy, while others seem uninspired by the presidential
race, though the two major political parties have given them
a clear choice, once again, between one rich white guy and
another rich white guy.

But there's still some hope, as filmmaker Michael Moore has
shown. He has convinced hundreds of college students to
vote, simply by offering them gifts of underwear. That's all
it takes, apparently, to get young people excited about
democracy. The presidential candidates have spent hours
talking about foreign policy, but it's hard to care about a
free Afghanistan and a free Iraq, when all you need is free
underwear.

But not everyone needs underwear. Folks in West Virginia are
managing just fine, thank you. That's why we need to offer a
variety of gifts, so we can attract as many voters as
possible. Most men would vote to get free tools and free
beer, while women would vote for free chocolate and free
backrubs from Denzel Washington.

We also need to change the language we use to recruit
voters. A poster that says "Exercise your right to vote"
won't work in America, because most people go out of their
way to avoid anything that involves exercise. We need to
emphasize that voting doesn't require much effort. "Enjoy
your right to vote" might work, but it probably won't be as
effective as "Enjoy your right to a free pair of underwear."

With the right incentives, we might get some real surprises
at the voting booths.

Election official: "Mrs. Johnson, I'm truly impressed.
You're 80 years old, have arthritis in your arms and boils
on your feet, yet you still came out to vote. You must
really care who goes to Washington."

Mrs. Johnson: "Of course I care who goes to Washington.
That's why I'm voting -- so I can get one of his backrubs."

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(c) Copyright 2004 Melvin Durai. All Rights Reserved.
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