By Cynthia Anger, MPA, JD Program Chair for Master of Public Administration
I’ve been thinking about citizenship and public responsibility in light of the upcoming election. Voting checks both boxes. The United States is a constitutional republic, meaning that its citizens are empowered to participate in a representative political system. We elect people to represent and protect our interests. The principle of self-governance is embedded in the Declaration of Independence and has been resoundingly and innumerably re-affirmed since the Declaration’s adoption in 1776. But can we claim ownership of a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” when fewer than 50% of our citizens vote regularly? (History buffs will recognize these words from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.)
It is no secret that the country is increasingly politically and culturally polarized. In many ways, that presents a threat to our republic. But, in the last presidential and midterm elections, strong views on many issues motivated an impressive number of Americans to vote. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, with 66.8% of citizens voting. In the November 2018 midterms, 53% of citizens, the highest midterm turnout in four decades, cast ballots.
You have probably heard many reasons why you should vote, but I want to share one more. As drama critic George Jean Nathan said, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.”
Of course, voting is just one of our rights and responsibilities, but what exactly is a “good citizen”? To help answer that question, I looked at the 2020 version of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s civics test, which is the test administered to individuals seeking to become United States citizens. The test consists of 10 questions selected randomly from 128 questions. The applicant is required to answer at least 6 questions correctly. I couldn’t help but wonder how many native-born Americans could pass, so I took the test, answering all 128 questions. What I learned was that having a basic understanding of United States history and government is essential to fully understanding the rights and responsibilities of being a good American citizen. I challenge you to test your knowledge.
Courses in the Master of Public Administration program offer students the opportunity to think deeply about the relationship between public service and good citizenship. This connection was particularly highlighted to me while redeveloping the program’s ethics course. We should expect that elected officials and public administrators will make decisions with an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of the people affected by those decisions. This links ethical decision-making directly to good citizenship, as these rights and responsibilities are derived from the principles upon which our country was founded
Working in the public sector is a measure of good citizenship. Still, we all can do more. Voting allows us to express our individual opinions about how we are governed and by whom, something we cannot do in our professional lives. Don’t miss the opportunity to vote on November 5.
** originally published in the Post University Magazine Spring/Summer 2024