Scholars' Views on Americans' Rights and Responsibilities
American voters headed to the polls may be focused on casting ballots for good candidates, but there are many factors that define a “good candidate” and, in fact, a “good voter.”
Most Americans agree that, as voters, staying informed about current events and political news is vital. A Pew Research Center survey released in June found Americans believe it’s extremely or very important to stay informed about a range of topics.
Jason Brennan, political philosopher at Georgetown University and author of “The Ethics of Voting,” told the Scientific American in a 2016 article that being a good voter or voting well starts with both being informed and considering the common good.
“Suppose you go to a doctor and ask for advice about an illness — you'd expect the doctor to have your interests at heart and to think rationally about your symptoms,” Brennan told the Scientific American. “Voters owe the same thing to each other and the electorate.
“Vote for everyone's best interest, and when you're forming your political beliefs, form them based on information and learning, not on the basis of quick thinking, anger or bias,” Brennan said.
Before Americans get the polls and make their decisions, though, they need to know their rights and responsibilities.
VOTER RIGHTS
It was the 14th Amendment that cemented: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” as the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute points out.
Later, the 15th and 19th Amendments prohibited discrimination at the ballot box based on race and sex, as reported by the Constitution Center, which focuses on nonpartisan constitutional education and debate. “There are several federal laws that protect voting rights for eligible U.S. citizens.,” the Center reported.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, “The 1965 Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination and requires jurisdictions to allow voting assistance in all but a couple of circumstances, and the Help America Vote Act provides that (1) voters must be able to vote privately and independently, (2) they must be given the opportunity to change or correct their ballot before it is cast, and (3) allows voters to vote a provisional or fail-safe ballot.”
VOTER RESPONSIBILITIES
Beyond having a right to vote, citizens also have a responsibility to cast an informed ballot, according to the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, a nonpartisan global online source of electoral information.
“Voters need to understand their rights and responsibilities under their constitution and election law so that they can fulfill their obligations in an informed manner,” the network states. “Competent and responsible participation must be based upon moral deliberation, knowledge, and reflective inquiry.”
Organizations such as Committee of Seventy (COS), a nonpartisan civic leadership organization, offer voters several resources to find reliable information as they consider their election choices.
“Voting is a right, but it is also a responsibility,” COS states on its website. “Know what you’re voting for before heading to the polls. Every registered voter needs to understand what they’re voting for, who they’re voting for, and if their vote counts.”
Looking at elected officials’ accomplishments can help voters make good decisions, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking or CEL, a nonpartisan academic agency formed in 2017 as a joint partnership between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.
The Center suggests good lawmakers have several key traits:
They’re able to develop a legislative agenda anchored in personal background, experience, and policy expertise.
They stay focused on their constituents’ needs.
They are open to compromise.
They work to build a broad coalition of allies in their legislative body and beyond.
VOTER BEHAVIOR
A portion of Americans choose a candidate or party based on a single issue about which they feel strongly, according to Sage Publishing.
There is debate over the impact of single-issue voters, but they are in the minority, according to Pew Research. Just 5% of voters surveyed said only one issue or no issues were highly important in the 2024 presidential election, for example.
“The vast majority of Americans consider themselves patriots,” according to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, a senior advisor for the Center on Representative Government at Indiana University. Hamilton wrote in a 2018 piece for the Center. “I believe that patriotism means getting on with the serious business of improving our country.
“In this formulation, patriotism is best expressed not in parades or speeches or exhortations or conspicuous displays, but in what we do,” Hamilton wrote.
BEING A GOOD VOTER
“The rule of law is a concept essential to our democracies, but one which lawyers and judges generally fail to successfully translate for the general public,” wrote Siofra O’Leary, a former judge and President of the European Court of Human Rights. “Many voters lack a clear understanding of how their state functions.
“Voting is a right, but it is also a privilege enjoyed by far too few and it is a responsibility which we bear individually and collectively to defend,” she wrote.
