“Panopticism” and the American Electoral Process

Kevin Cowan
ENGL 1011
September 16, 2008

“Panopticism” and the American Electoral Process

The process of the American presidential election has been transformed over many decades with the ultimate goal of convincing the nation that a candidate is the best person to represent the country. In our most modern elections, the process has been refined to the point where every portion of the candidacy is planned out profitably. Instead of having the election for the America president being based solely on the citizen’s feelings and emotions towards the candidates, the electoral process has become a strategically moving machine. From monitoring both the candidates and the voters to balancing how the candidate should characterize him or herself, all parts of the process are mapped out to ensure the best result. By creating such an intricate mechanism, our candidates lose their individuality and serve only to appeal to the people who will be voting for them in November.
Keeping watch on everything involving the presidential candidates is crucial for citizens to choose the best person to govern their country. Almost every moment of the candidates’ lives is documented in some way to reveal to the public. It seems to me that every time I find myself bowling, the topic comes up that candidate Barack Obama could only amass a score of 37 in one game. Although this information in the larger scheme is useless in choosing the best president, the media strategically reveals these pieces of trivia to appeal to the common voter. Voters are more likely to vote for the everyday man if they feel they can connect to them and they do not represent a higher being. The most evident example of this in U.S. history was the election of Andrew Jackson in the 1820s. The people of America voted for Jackson because he was referred to as a “hero of the common man” (US History). People have shown to have higher respect to those who they can connect to because they believe they will be...