Participation in a Democracy

Author: Nolan Giegel

  Democratic countries possess multiple components that point to the health of the democratic system, and one of the most crucial components is political candidate competitiveness—the more competition between candidates, the more likely there will be enough voter turnout to keep the democratic system operating. One of the hallmark features of a democratic society is citizens’ right to vote for their leaders, but voter turnout often depends on the competitiveness of the election. Candidates running for office face off against opponents seeking the same office, therefore spreading campaign messages to voters is vital to winning elections. Democratic movements have a huge impact on elections, especially if they grow large enough and become more inclusive of other groups. Candidates can appeal to voters in these movements to garner more votes by supporting movements’ causes. Furthermore, more competitive elections require candidates to campaign more with voters.

Therefore, getting citizens out to vote requires significant competition among political candidates, often with fierce policy defenses and major disagreements with political opponents. Additionally, fierce candidate competition drives increased voter satisfaction in the voting system itself because of the system’s potential to provide voters with quality candidates that aim to provide the best for the country. US presidential elections over the last few decades have become closer than ever, and this has been a driving force in the increase in Americans voting every election. The 2020 US presidential election was an incredibly competitive election race in a time of very intense political divisions and a global pandemic, not to mention the days it took to declare the winner, but there was significant voter turnout across the country. The 2024 presidential election was also a very intense election with a multitude of significant political developments in the lead-up to the election.

Overall, competition between political candidates is a major factor for voters intending to go to the polls. The possibility of voting margins being incredibly close motivates voters to cast their vote to potentially alter the outcome in their candidate’s favor.