The concept of a Democracy is not as perplexing as we have made it seem. A Democracy entails that every citizen has the right to exercise their voice in the form of a vote, and thus the power resides in the hands of the people. A Democracy provides responsibility, equality, and control for the people within a state.

Unfortunately, this is where the contradiction beings.

As a citizen of the United Sates of America, prior to exercising the right to vote... one must register. Registering to vote is not always made easy, nor is voting within primary elections. For example, in California, our open primary takes place June 7, but in order to be at all eligible to vote you must be registered by May 20.

This deadline is not spoken about in the media, nor the newspapers. If you do your research you will come across the dates, but let's be honest - there are truly not that many people who care enough.

Wouldn't you think that if our nation really wanted to hear from all its people, every citizen would be automatically registered to vote? Why? Why do we have to fill out a piece of paper or an online document in order to exercise our right?

Now, regarding the two political parties, in states with closed primaries, not only do you have to be registered to vote, but you must be registered to a specific party, and can only vote within it. So what does that mean? If you are a Republican, you MUST vote for a Republican candidate, regardless if you agree with them or not. Let's say you don't prescribe to the plans of any Republican candidate, and despite your track record of voting Republican, this time around you wish to vote for a Democratic candidate. But you're registered Republican, so you don't have this choice. Is that not a pure contradiction of a Democracy?

By implicating a two-party system we are splitting the American people. And by forcing people to exclusively affiliate with a party, we are evoking their full right to vote.

So much for “America the free." You live in a nation that prides itself on giving every citizen the right to vote, yet you don't have the right to exercise YOUR voice, simply because of an affiliation with a party. In an open primary, you must still be registered as a Republican or Democrat, but you can vote either way.

The government is smart in their ways - by stiffening the walls, they have control in outcomes. In every election to date, when the voting outcome is higher the winning candidate is a Democrat, and when the voting outcome is low the result is a Republican. Not to mention that 43 percent of people are opting out of the two-parties, thus forfeiting their vote, and making it that much easier for candidates backed by their affiliated party to rise up. The pharmaceutical companies, Wall Street, and businessmen have money to spend on assisting a “party,” raising a candidate to victory and are able to due to our system. This takes the power away from the people and bestows it upon the party.

But wait...

There are people behind the political parties who are so extremely advocated. Your vote should not count for the affiliated party, but for the person standing behind it! Our presidential candidates shouldn't be representing the Republican, nor Democratic party, but themselves and their own views, ideologies and plans. Our two parties are two extremes that are completely opposite of one another.

We are not allowing people to appreciate each other's differences, and we are taking NO steps to reach a compromise. Our president should not be representing one of these parties, but both.

I truly do not believe that there are too many people who contend ALL of their beliefs to a party AND THAT IS WHY WE DO NOT NEED THEM. We do not need to further divide our country and quiet the voice of America while doing so.

What we need to do is recognize that, while there are present differences between people in America, there is NOTHING wrong with these differences. We are diverse, and what we need to do is accept one another. We must accept that we coexist in this beautiful country together, and concurrently be empathetic to each other's needs, not egotistical toward solely our own.

This is where I like to implicate my mission: we do not need to agree to disagree. There will be times, where regardless of how it is said, you disagree with something. Perhaps you disagree because it's contrary to how you were brought up, or what you've always been taught or raised to know. However, I am not asking you to agree. I am asking you to compromise. I believe true democracy is compromise.

Within our government, there will never be a time that every single citizen is overjoyed with policy. However, if everyone's needs are met, and voices are heard, I believe democracy is achieved.