Voting: The Role Of Gamification In The United States

Every two years on the first Tuesday in November, millions of Americans head to their local polling station for Election Day. Being able to vote in a free and fair democratic election is a is a right that activists in the suffrage and civil rights movements fought for with their blood, sweat, and tears. Those activists and many others saw voting as an agent of change and an important civic duty. However, the mindset that voting is important has changed over the past few decades. According to a study done by the Pew research center, the United States voter turnout trails most developed countries; and the 2016 Presidential election’s voter turnout rate was at a 20-year low (Regan, 2016). One of the leading issues that scholars and politicians alike face when trying to tackle this
The theory of gamification holds that people – consumers, coworkers, or students – respond naturally and efficiently to competition, reward, and the type of simulated risk that have made video games such a cultural phenomenon since the 1980’s (Dewey, 2013). Elements of videogame mechanics have been implemented in companies across the country for marketing, training, education and wellness programs. However, gamification’s potential is extremely high. In 2011 researchers at the University of Washington created a game called ‘Fold it’ (Anderson, 2012). The game called upon citizens from across the world to try and figure out the mystery of a how a key protein folds. The way the protein folded was an important step for scientists who were in search of a cure for the HIV virus. The game drew 46,000 participants; and the mystery that had eluded scientists for over fifteen years was solved in ten days. If gamification is used responsibly and correctly, it can become an effective tool that could solve serious problems through