No one wants to talk yet again about last year's U.S. presidential election, which went on record not only as being one of the closest in U.S. history, but perhaps also as the most protracted and bitterly fought. But in the aftermath of the presidential contest, it ought to be mentioned that attention was focused on the wrong half of the population. The United States has not reached this high a level in the last 80 years. Based on voter turnout data, the wealthier you are, the weightier your vote is. Each poor American is likely to receive only about half the representation of each wealthy American.
Participation also needs to be representative of all broad groups of the population.
Recent trends raise serious questions about the emergence of a 'feudalist democracy' in the United States. Wal-Mart has already started initiatives to register voters, but can do more to help overcome the digital and voter divide . The majority of these people are not likely to have Internet access from their homes. In 1996, less than half of all eligible U.S. voters went to the polls, the worst tally since the 1924 race between Calvin Coolidge and John Davis. The United States has not reached this high a level in the last 80 years.