Electoral Dysfunction Documentary on PBS

This documentary was an eye opening exploration of voting processes and drawbacks
that is present in the United States and throughout history. It first outlined the electoral college
through an example of a mock electoral college vote that occurred in an elementary school
classroom. Students were astounded, as they did not believe that this was a fair process of voting.
Throughout history, there are several instances when the popular vote was won but the electoral
college was lost, therefore the candidate with the popular vote lost. This part of the documentary
informed my thinking, as I know it is something that happened in the 2016 election. Most people
that came out of the voting booths on election day in the documentary had no idea that they
werent voting for the president, they were voting for electors who would make that decision for
them. I have mixed feelings about the electoral college, but I definitely know that I did not even
begin to understand it growing up. I had been told that my vote mattered, but did not realize that
even if the election day voting goes one way, the electors are the people that formally decide. In
a way, this makes me believe that America does not have a true form of a democracy. I hope to
teach my students about these discrepancies so they can decide themselves their opinions on the
voting processes in the United STates.
Although the national law states that every US citizen over the age of 18 has the right to
vote, states get to personally develop plans to prevent certain citizens in their state from voting.
For example, one person in the documentary was unable to vote because she was a convicted
felon. In another state, citizens had to personally pay for a voting ID that showed that they had to
right to vote, which not everyone could afford. The documentary suggested a national system of
voter registration like other democracies in the world present, so that there are no discrepancies
based on where a citizen lives. This information made me realize that voting is not the simple

process that I once imagined. Every person does not have the equal opportunity to vote in the
elections, based on their wealth, place they live at, and past in crime. Many citizens went to vote
but then were sent away because of not having the right form of identification to present to the
offices. Even the ballots filled out on election day are not uniform, and many can be very
confusing for voters. Voting is more than what most citizens in the United States are
knowledgeable about.