Does America do a good job preserving the right to vote for all eligible citizens?

"Compared to countries in which there is rampant electoral corruption, the United States does a pretty good job of protecting the right to vote. But compared to other industrialized democracies, we're not doing a very good job at all. The infrastructure of American democracy – from voting machines to registration lists to the staffing of polling places – still isn't nearly what it should be.

Turnout is relatively low, and those who participate in American elections aren't representative of the citizenry as a whole. We need to find ways to increase participation among those groups that have traditionally been left out. The ideal is for all citizens to participate as equals in the conversations of democracy, regardless of race, sex, disability, age, or poverty.

We're still a long way from achieving that goal."

Daniel P. Tokaji
Associate Professor of Law;
Associate Director, Election Law @ Moritz