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Volume 27, Issue 3, August 26, 2004

Opinion

Letís go vote for ëAmerican Idolí


Heather Wahle
Columnist

Approximately 65 million votes were cast for 2004’s “American Idol” which aired on Fox Television. The season finale attracted more viewers of any entertainment show all season.

For the relatively small population not familiar with the show, “American Idol” is another piece of reality television where viewers get to look in at “real” peoples’ lives. “Idol” is set in talent-show style, where undiscovered singers audition and perform in competition with “talents” for the title “American Idol.” The performers are initially judged by a selected panel of three, but the ultimate decision of who is deemed “Idol” rests on the American viewing audience.

Viewers are allowed to vote for the contestant they see worthy of the title by text messaging or calling Fox’s 1-800 number and entering the name of the performer they feel should win. The winner is the contestant who stays in the game the longest, and receives the necessary votes by the audience. “The American Idol” winner receives the prize of a record contract, and of course the fame and marketing opportunities of being on the show itself.

Apparently, we Americans really care about which singer is going to be allowed an album opportunity and earn the title of becoming our “Idol” that year.

Approximately only 51 percent of registered voters, 105 million Americans, cast their vote in the 2000 presidential election. The United States Census Bureau projected that 206 million Americans were eligible to vote in 2000.

For those who are not familiar with the process, legal residents of the United States of America who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to vote. Voting in the elections is part of the democratic process. When people vote, they have input in the selection of elected officials. Every four years, we have the opportunity to vote for the President of the United States.

Apparently, we Americans have forgotten that we have the right and privledge to vote and participate in the democratic process as not every country does.

The presidential election in 2000 was one of the closest and most debatable in history. It took over a month to assess the results. George W. Bush tallied 271 electoral votes, and 50,456,002 popular votes. Al Gore tallied 266 electoral votes and 50,999,897 popular votes.

Certified only after many recounts, Florida’s 25 electoral votes became the determining factor of the election results. The Florida voting roles purged approximately 50,000 votes because they were supposedly attributed to alleged felons. These 50,000 dismissed votes included some by voters who were legally eligible to vote.

The controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election prompted the passing of the Help America Vote Act proposing that electoral reform be made. The act preempted a request that the United States federal government provide funds to update the voting system.

The old, mechanical voting system was proposed to be updated with electronic equipment. This has led to speculation of whether an electronic method will be entirely accurate. Computer systems have security weaknesses, which may affect the integrity of voting privacy, and without paper ballots verification is sacrificed.

Let’s not forget “The American Idol” 2004 election controversy. Many allegations flew that the results were of a racially biased nature. Also, many potential voters complained they were not even given the opportunity to exercise their right to vote for “American Idol.” Viewers encountered numerous busy signals because the 1-800 numbers Fox provided were not equipped to handle the overwhelming amount of votes.

There is a national problem when close to half of the eligible voting population is actually registered to vote. There is a national problem when only half of all registered voters actually cast a ballot for the President of the United States.

There is a national problem when a talent show’s voting controversy wins more media attention then a presidential election’s voting controversy. There is a national problem when the talent show voting population is rivaling in numbers that of the voting population of America.

Maybe a solution to both problems would be to combine the 2004 Presidential Elections with “American Idol Ultimate.” Let’s put these performers to the test. Combine all the “talents” of the previous “Idol” winners and make them compete against one another.

Simultaneously, a second-stage act could be the presidential elections where political candidates vie against one another in their own competition of what they can do for America.

I can just picture it: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino battling it out while on the sidelines, John Kerry, George W. Bush, and Ralph Nader are competing with vigor.

Who will win the “American Idol Ultimate?” Who will be the next President of the United States? At the end, the two winners could sing a song together.