The Rational Self-Interest Theory Of Voting

As a first time voter, I had been told horror stories about same day voting and heeded the advice of those wiser than me. I casted my ballot days before avoiding the lines while still getting emotional as a female voting for the first woman presidential nominee of a major party. As lunchtime rolled around at the Cache Valley County Clerk’s Office, the lines were growing and people 's desire to fulfill their civic duty depleted. Many grumbled, asking “what the hell was taking so long”. The reality of polling was a lot different than I had anticipated. I rarely polled anyone during my four hour shift. Instead, I took the task of answering questions regarding how long it would take to vote, what they needed to register, and where other voting …show more content…
The majority of people trying to vote were doing so during their limited lunch break, and after the realization of how long it would take, they had to leave. Employees could not risk being late to work, an understandable conflict. Throughout history politicians have advocated for the rights of others to vote, the next step in protecting that sacred right is to ensure all American’s have the same opportunity to vote. By making election day a national holiday, more citizens would get out to vote. The Rational Self Interest Theory of Voting explains how time is the most costly aspect for voters. After my experience interacting with voters in real time, it became apparent how much time is valued by the public. American’s do not want government taking away any more of their time than they already do. By giving people the day off, more people would be able to complete their civic duty and voter turnout would increase dramatically. Not only would making election day a national holiday benefit the voters, it would be one less complaint American’s could have regarding voting. American’s don’t want to give up their time because the benefit of voting does not cancel out the amount of time it takes to