Whose Election is This?

View Helio Survey of Registered American Voters |  Helio Explained

If I’m honest, I don’t always feel my political voice matters. My vote counts though. I’m a proud American, and believe my participation is required to make our political system work. We’re a representative democracy, more specifically a federal republic, which is a federation of states that keep the central government in check. My individual vote is not specifically recognized (it’s anonymous unless I choose to share it), but the system takes account of my contribution. It’s my civic duty.

The recent problems in the Iowa caucus, problems with Facebook fake news, and the politicized impeachment process got me thinking, who is running this system? It’s a gut check for me. We’ve been continually tested over two centuries, but Lincoln’s Gettyburg address still rings true for me, “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It’s inspiring that despite the uneasiness expressed in the press this election cycle, 81% of our registered voter panelists feel their vote makes a difference in the political process. Only 2% strongly disagree that they have any impact on the political process.

I asked our panel of registered US voters what qualities are most likely to make them vote for a presidential candidate. I was surprised by the responses. Number one on the list? ‘Has released tax returns’ and ‘grew up middle class.’ The next two, ‘has run a business’ and ‘age 50 or younger,’ came in slightly behind. Most of those qualities still put me in the running for president!                                               

Almost every one of our panelists intend to vote for their candidates, though only 53% of the general population actually showed up in the 2018 elections. The last presidential election only had slightly higher participation. With such low participation, I wondered which elected officials had the greatest impact on our panelist’s life. The President was number one, but the state Governor was a close second. Personally, state and local policies have a big impact on my day to day life, but I see how people see the President having a direct impact on their life. Not everyone agrees though, “Just one vote really doesn’t make a difference. When we vote for president we are merely voting on who we want as a spokesperson, who we want to report information to us.”

We live in a two party system. However, it was interesting that our poll revealed 35% of our panelists didn’t align with a party. In my first presidential election, I watched Ross Perot buy air time to share his views. He called the presentation, Chicken Feather, Deep Voodoo and the American Dream. I was fascinated by his charts. Perot won 18.9% of the popular vote, the highest share of the vote won by a candidate outside of the two major parties since 1912. He was mocked heavily for his approach, but I found his direct use of media interesting. Now we have Twitter. :)

If you don’t think the political process matters to people, the image of Judge Robert Rosenberg still stings many people. The hanging chad fiasco in the 2000 presidential election elicits strong feelings from panelists when asked how it makes them feel. “Frustrated. Upset. Angry. Triggered,” expressed one panelists. “Makes me mad. I feel as if that particular election was stolen,” shared another. Despite frustration by a few panelists, my hope remains strong in our system. “My vote makes a difference. Every vote does, actually,” shared a young voter. My favorite? “Because my opinion matters.”

What is this?

DesignFail is a light hearted series where I share my love for our Helio product. I’m curious about the world and love figuring out how I fit into it’s chaos. I’ve helped 1000s of companies design products and services to solve these amazing people problems. Text me at 650.533.0469.