2 Days Remaining

With only two days remaining until the 2020 Presidential election, it is time to turn our focus from the past, to looking at building a better future. It takes the votes of many for our collective voices to be heard. Unfortunately, apathy runs rampant today amidst an increasing distrust of politics. In fact, a study by the Pew Research Center found that two-thirds of adults think other Americans have little or no confidence in the federal government. The vast majority also felt that this distrust was detrimental to efforts toward solving some of the nation’s most critical issues. 

Director of Internet and Technology Research at Pew, Lee Rainie, said in regards to participants’ views. “They believe that distrust gets in the way of solving some pressing problems, that it flows from a broken political culture and that it keeps neighbors apart.” Interpersonal trust is one of the pillars upon which a successful government must be built. One of the participants of the survey reiterated this quite succinctly: “Many people no longer think the federal government can actually be a force for good or change in their lives. This kind of apathy and disengagement will lead to an even worse and less representative government.” In order to have reflective and diverse representation, we must maintain the motto of the United States; E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one.

It is important to mention that the study found that trust can be remedied, and this is cause for optimism. Although confidence in Washington is unsurprisingly diminishing, more than 80% of participants expressed that the level of confidence Americans have in the federal government, and each other can, and must, be improved. Apathy must be turned to empathy, so that we may have E Pluribus Unum as the motto on our country’s seal with integrity.