Have you earned the right to vote?
In 1984, my parents fled an oppressive military junta that claimed the lives of many of their friends. We came to the U.S. on a tourist visa. Literally two weeks before we would have had to leave the country, my family won a green card lottery, making us permanent residents.
It took my parents 13 years to become citizens. Thirteen years of minimal contact with their family in Argentina. They completed mountains of INS paperwork (arguably the hardest part of being naturalized). They passed a civics exam that virtually no native-born American could pass; sample questions: who is your representative in the state General Assembly? When was the country founded (hint: not 1776)?
I was naturalized at 17. Like other immigrants, I never presumed that I’d have the rights of a U.S. citizen. I never took it for granted that I’d vote. And it took me the better part of a year to decide that I wanted to swear allegiance to the U.S.A.
That’s why it frustrates me to see native-born Americans ready to cast their ballot haphazardly tomorrow. Many of them haven’t really thought their votes through on any meaningful level. They trust their favorite political party to tell them whom to vote for, or they vote on the most minimal information.
Worst of all, about half of American voters don’t even care about their privilege to determine the course of the world’s superpower enough to actually make it to the polls. Americans have a reputation for squandering resources, and that extends to political resources, too; the rest of the world would gladly switch places with a U.S. citizen, if only for our political power.
The root of the problem is that Americans don’t appreciate their voting privileges. (I’m aware that voting is a Constitutional right, but being protected by the Constitution is itself a privilege from the perspective of all of humanity.) Without having worked for the ability to vote, native Americans don’t value it. It’s human nature to value those things that we’ve worked for, and not value what comes easily.
Conversely, immigrants treat their right to vote reverentially, almost like a sacred duty. They’re thankful to be part of the greatest nation on earth (or at least grateful that they’re no longer in their home country). Like other immigrants, my parents remember the high price of citizenship, and they sure aren’t going to disregard what they toiled for.
Nowhere is this kind of gratitude better exemplified than in the Founding Fathers, all immigrants, who fought a war to secure the privileges of American citizenship. It’s no coincidence that we have such a strong bill of rights; the Fathers wanted to safeguard the privileges for which they’d fought so hard.
I propose, then, to make citizenship an earned status for all Americans, native or alien. The mere accident of being born on U.S. soil shouldn’t mean anything. Birthplace is an arbitrary characteristic to base rights on, much like race or sex, since you can’t choose or change these characteristics.
A better characteristic is commitment to serve the nation. At the least, this would involve formal naturalization for all: an informed, voluntary oath of allegiance; evidence of good moral character; and ability to contribute to the nation’s economy. I’d actually go beyond this ceremonial ritual, and require some sort of tangible service to the country-military or civil-before granting citizenship.
This kind of test is no poll tax. It’s not designed to discriminate on the basis of any arbitrary characteristic like race or sex. Every American, no exceptions, would have to earn the right to vote in the same way.
But a far more realistic, short-term suggestion: as you go into the voting booth, don’t take your vote for granted. Billions of people would kill to have the power you will wield tomorrow. Don’t look at voting as a chore, or even a right; think of it as a privilege, and vote accordingly.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Related Posts
Print This Post