How Does this Voting System Work?

Niya Petty

Miss. Pahomov

English 2

April 4, 2018

How does this voting system work?

In William Golding’s “Lord of The Flies”, there are kids who are stranded on an island at their own survival without adult supervision and with being on their own, they have to take on some responsibility. At a point in the book there was a time that a leader had to be elected for the group. Someone to take charge and be there if things go wrong. So the kids had an election for who would be chief. Everyone picked Ralph. Wondering, what makes Ralph a good leader? Was it  based on intelligence, skills and attractiveness? Comparing this to a real life situation, we as U.S. citizens have to elect a president. We pick a specific person as a leader of the United States. What qualities do people value that makes them vote for a specific person?

In chapter 1, Ralph and Piggy meet the choir boys and Jack. They had assembled to retrieve roles as a pack  and vote on a chief. When chief is heard by Jack he immediately thought it should be him due to the fact that he was already “chief” of the choir boys. “´I ought to be chief ,´ said Jack with simple arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp”(22). In the novel it seems as none of the choir boys wants Jack to be chief but they could not think of a reason for Ralph to be chief. They also look forward to Piggy due to his intelligence. Then they come to a decision that Ralph is attractive and has the conch. “There was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.”(22)  Of course Jack tried to debate because it was almost obvious the Jack should have been chief since he knew what he was doing. Which bring us to the point when there are rules and priorities are involved and how they are pointless due to the method of voting the boys use to elect chief. It comes down to why he is chief is because he brought them together and since Ralph is chief he gets the conch is very important to the kids. Then again, everyone could see who was voting for who at this point which made people not go with true self towards who they wanted to vote for. Even though Jack wasn’t chief, he was still in charge of the choir boys and their hunting job which sort of made him a chief of something.

In the process of electing a president in the United States of America, americans are to go to a voting poll and vote for who they think shall be America’s next president. There are three requirements for being president in the U.S. given by the Constitution; the citizen must be 35 years of age, a resident of the united states for over 14 years, and a natural born citizen.  But as we get ready to vote, there is a purpose why we choose who we choose to be president. What values do these candidates bring to make people feel a certain way about them and want them president. What qualities should we look for in our given candidates which we elect. Some people look at the was they could manage the presidency. Or if they are great campaigners which could help to people of the United States make a better decision in what they want. Voting itself is a very organized process here in the U.S. knowing that we have an Election day which always falls on the first Tuesday in the month of November. US citizens have the right to vote. Some people use that opportunity  and others don’t. US citizens must be at least the age of 18 in order to vote. The process of voting, voters are put in private voting booths where they are to fill out their ballots. No one is able to see who is voting for who.From there, the vote is counted for whomever is voted for.

In conclusion, The way the voting process works between the novel and the real word is very different. In the novel, children are running an assembly of voting for chief were not everyone is eligible  to to be chief and everyone feels guilty if they do not vote for someone who everyone else's is voting for where in the real world when voting for president, everything is much more private with the citizens vote. Not knowing who voted for who and having to wait for who is the winner of the election. A similar  topic run by two different ages and processing can make a huge difference in results of voting.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Dickerson, John. “What Does It Take To Be a Good President? Four Things, Mainly.” Slate Magazine, 26 Sept. 2012, www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/features/2012/how_to_measure_a_president_/what_qualities_should_we_look_for_in_our_presidents_.html.

According to this website, there are some ideas given to what it takes to be a good president.

“To Choose A President.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2012/summer/archivist.html.

This website explains how we choose a president

“Voting in Person on Election Day.” USAGov, www.usa.gov/election-day.

How we as Americans vote in America