Speech Outline

Outline
1. We live in a democracy and we have always been taught that everyone's right to vote is
a wonderful thing. For the most part this is true and government with some form of voting
rights and democracy appears to be best:
1. Also, I think we have all learned about the weaknesses and problems with the
democratic / voting process.
1. persons voting more than one time
2. People voting under dead persons names
3. non-citizens or illegal immigrants voting.
4. Corrupt politicians attempting to buy votes with hollow campaign
promises
5. Examples of people who dont meet their civic responsibility by attempting
to understand who or what they are voting for.
ii.
Democracy and the right to vote, is thousands of years old, some of the same
problems that destroyed democracies in the past are the same problems the
American democracy faces: voter ignorance, corruption, and dept.
iii.
We all can agree that the voting process can be improved and there are
weaknesses, corruption in the voting system.
b. A reason for requiring ID to vote
i.
In our society, a person must have an ID to legally do many things: drive,
purchase alcohol, own property and even fish. Why wouldn't it be required to
have an ID for something as important as voting? (Rhetorical Question)
ii.
Clearly, our government requires an ID for any activity it feels it needs to regulate
in order to benefit society as a whole.
iii.
Any institution or politician that argues against voter ID must clearly be benefiting
from the unregulated votes.
iv.
Requiring an id to vote would get rid of voter fraud and make it so people can't
vote more than once and also prevent illegal immigrants from voting.
b. People should have to demonstrate some understanding of our political history, system
and understanding of their civic duty.
i.
We have all seen videos, of a comedian walking around with a microphone
asking simple political questions to people walking by and some of them can't
even answer the most basic questions. spoofs of people that can't answer basic
question on politics.
1. Its is entertaining and makes us laugh, but we all know that lack of
knowledge is not a good thing.
ii.
A recent PEW survey found that 41% of Americans cannot name the vice
president.
iii.
This lack of knowledge and unwillingness to meet their obligation to be an
informed citizen leads to poor representative governments and hurts us all.
iv.
In order to obtain citizenship persons must pass a basic test - it is not
unreasonable to require the same in order for a person to vote.
b. People who do not pay taxes should not be able to vote
i.
Plato once said 2000 years ago That is the problem with democracy, once
the people learn that they can vote for their own benefit the democracy
goes bankrupt. (Allusion)
ii.
If you listen to many voters they're either talking about what benefit they want
from their government or what they want to be given.

iii.

Corrupt politicians are always promising citizens some benefit such as public
assistance or even lower taxes that cannot be possibly be provided.
iv.
We need to remember what John F Kennedy said My fellow Americans
ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your
country. (Parallel Structure)
v.
It seems reasonable to expect that anyone who can vote should be paying taxes.
Those are the persons who are contributing to the system of benefits provided
by democracies
b. Call to action
i.
Understand for politicians is praising the right for everyone to vote is probable
just benefiting from the vote of irresponsible and self-serving voters.
ii.
Don't vote for the politician that is promising benefits to you, because most of the
time you're not gonna get what you deserve and not what you are expecting.
iii.
You should only vote for the politicians who are being honest and reasonable
about voting laws and and democracy what they will do.