The decline in voter participation consider by many scholars to start shortly after World War II, however between the years of 1960-1974 American voters started to lose trust of the national government. Ahead only of Italy in 1974 (Powell, 1986, p. 18) and dropped just below 10% up until 1980. However, trust was the least important of the four attitude variables (Powell, 1986, pp. 18-19). So the challenge is how best do we get better voter turnout not just solely when we elect a new President, but during the mid-term elections as well. Many Representatives (Democrats) would argue that our laws on registration are too strict and limit turnout of elderly, poor and minority voters. Party competition to mobilize lower class voters, for example …show more content…
is probably much more difficult, although blacks represent an obvious target of opportunity for the Democratic party (Powell, 1986, p. 36) Although this may be valid in some situations, our system is far more practical about government interaction with voter registration. In some nations, legal sanctions are used to encourage voter to go to the polls (Powell, 1986, p. 20). For example, Australia, Belgium, Greece and Italy just to name a few mandate voters to go vote. This is not productive on the contrary if voters do not follow politics. Besides, what party affiliation do they have the same views and concepts with? Once, compelled to vote, these citizens may make choices the same way some people choose lottery numbers (Wattenerg, 2012, p. 203). Mostly, all states do not allow for same day registration and in general, most require registration up to twenty-five days prior to the election for the purpose to verify correct voting districts.
However, in the event that any individual has not moved for example in the last five years should already be pre-registered and the only requirement would be to show up to the correct location with valid identification and cast their vote. Of all the complications that the elderly face could be resolved by opening the polls a day early, of course there would have to be a discussion as to what age is considered elderly. Comparatively, I would suggest sixty-five and older would be ideal in supporting better turnout. Also, consider northern states, which in November at times could have frigid weather and in reality reduces all age groups to stand in line to vote. This alone would play favorable in not just helping the elderly, but that it would reduce actual numbers on at the polls during the actual Election Day. Finally, all things considered I strongly believe Election Day should be a federal holiday. From the stand point that lines are long and most companies allow for their employees to arrive late for work to go vote, then why not just make it a whole day
off. In the end if our government makes simplifies registration, opens the polls up early for elderly and makes Election Day an official federal holiday, the responsibility still rest with the individual to get out and vote.
When America was first established, they had the highest voting turnouts ever in American history. Ever since, America’s voting turn-out has dropped (Fortin). The reason for the high turn outs were because American colonists wanted change from the British’s electoral system. As history writes, American colonist rebel and over time becomes one of the greatest countries ever. Today, Americans are one of the worst countries in vote to registration as they rank 120 in the world (Pintor). Over the summer, I got to learn more about Ohio’s electoral system and voting turn outs in a first hand experience. A decreasing number of voting to registration is not only a national problem, but a local issue as well and there are creative ideas in fixing these
The "silent majority" of the American people is now accepted as the status quo, the way things always have been and will be. Voter turnout is now the litmus test for political participation. Non-voters are becoming rampant in our democracy, with voter turnout hovering around a low 60% for general elections. At this rate, a candidate would have to win over 80% of that 60% vote in order to have true majority support. Thus, inactivity in voting threatens the very legitimacy of our government. In the recent November 7, 2013 midterm election, a few counties reported a mere 4% of eligible voters actually participated, in some cases to vote for a policy referendum that would aff...
There is a way that is already put in use to increase voter turnout in Australia is to make voting mandatory. People in Australia are forced to vote or they will be fined, or even jailed if they do not vote repeatedly. It is very effective in term of improving voter turnout; however, there is still some argument against it. One of them being people would only vote because they have to, so they are ignorantly voting for the candidates just to be done with it. I completely agree with this idea. The voter turnout can be really high, but it would be meaningless if the people just vote to escape from the punishments. Yale Law School Professor Stephen Carter also suggested that, instead of punishing people do not vote, we should reward people who vote. It is the same with the mandatory voting. I think it will only be effective in increasing the voter turnout, but the results will not. People should vote voluntarily for the best and fair outcome. To have more people voting, I believe we should take a look at why people do not vote. We must assure people that if everybody thinks their vote does not count, then no one would vote. We should be able to change their attitude about their own votes. If people cannot vote because they are busy with work or schools, we should have a national day off on the election day. By doing so, much more people will be able to participate in voting. There should also be
"Miller light and bud light…either way you end up with a mighty weak beer!" This is how Jim Hightower (a Texan populist speaker) described the choices that the U.S. electorate had in the 2000 elections. This insinuates that there is a clear lack of distinction between the parties. Along with numerous others, this is one of the reasons why the turnout is so low in the U.S. elections. In trying to explain the low figures at the U.S. elections, analysts have called American voters apathetic to indifferent to downright lazy. I disagree that the 50% (in recent elections) of voters that fail to turnout to vote are lazy and that they have just reason not too. I will also show that the problem lies within the system itself in that the institutional arrangements, electoral and governmental, do not create an environment that is conducive to mass participation. I will address these main issues and several others that have an effect on voter participation. In doing so I will compare America to other established democracies.
In America, voting for the President is a privilege and a lie. Many Americans think when they go to the polls in November, they are voting for the President of the United States; but really, they are voting for a group of electors who have pledged to support a nominee for the President. The Founding Fathers were concerned that presidents would always come from a populous state and wondered whether the public would have the knowledge of various candidates necessary to make a wise selection. They did not have access to technology like the internet or smart phones as we do. In most states, as the result of the election, the state awards all its electors to the winning candidate (Belenky 1308). A Presidential a candidate must win 270 Electoral
The United States national elections have been experiencing a steady decline of eligible voters showing up to vote. This steady decline has been ongoing since experiencing a significant increase in voter turnout from 1948 through 1960. Over the years there has been significant, meticulous research done to try to pinpoint the cause of the decline in voter turnout over years. All of this research has led to the production of an enormous number of literatures written on the perceived causes. The vast amount of literature produced has led to a number of competing explanations about this decline. The quest for the answer to the question of, why this decline in voter turnout, is very important for an overwhelming majority of Americans and our democratic system because the people/voters can only truly be represented by our government if all eligible voters go out and vote. For this paper I will examine four theories that attempt to explain the decline. The four theories that I will discuss are voting barriers, campaign contributions, negative campaign advertising, and finally the cultural explanation. However, through thorough exploration and critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of these four theories, we will find that the cultural explanation theory is currently the most persuasive theory in the group. Finally, I will also explore some reasons as to why citizens do vote as well.
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
1. How can we explain the low voting turnout, and low participation in general, in Texas? Consider how political culture, socio-economics, race/ethnicity, age, institutional laws etc. may affect these low rates.
To enforce voting to be mandatory , this will prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices for their representatives. Mandating would stimulate the demand side, motivating voters to understand and acknowledge who they are voting for. Therefore , voting is to be a responsibility than a option.
There are less people voting now than prior generations. Putnam states, “[T]he decline in voting turnout... is due to the replacement of an older generation that was relatively interested in public affairs by a younger generation that is relatively uninterested” (2000, p. 36). This is reflective of intercohort change as the younger generations’ disinterest in public affairs continues to worsen. Technology has also played a role in the decline of political participation. Parties have the tools for mass marketing, so there is no longer a need for door to door campaigning. Why campaign door to door when one can reach millions with a single robocall? Lastly, individual and group political participation has declined since the 1960s. Putnam notes that individual participation such as voting is declining at a much slower rate than group participation such as joining political organizations, many of which deserve the name “tertiary associations” (2000, p. 52). This tertiary organizational structure aims to strengthen numbers but leads to a lack of social capital for its members as there is no requirement to socialize with one
Not a day goes past that without hearing about the presidential candidates. The local polls, debates, drama, and the daily attacks people in the political parties. I hear this information whether I want too or not. One can always be up to date when it comes to the upcoming election either on the television news, or radio, and reading about it in the daily newspaper. And the presidential election seems to be what everyone is talking about or using social media to express their own personal sides. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like every year we get a new commander and chief. The presidential election is something that Americans looks forward to every four years. People across our nation get to vote and be part of our great democracy in the
Voter turnout has been declining in the United States throughout history through the potential voters’ personal choice not to vote and ineligibility. According to research a large percentage of individuals are not voting because political parties fail to appeal to the voters and this leads to the voting population losing interest in the campaign, while others postpone registering and by the time they realize their delay the election is upon them.
In my experience most people become apathy voters out of fear or ignorance. The best way to increase voter turnout is by explaining the political issues to them. People would vote more often if they have a better gasp of the political issues affecting them. I don't think people understand just how important voting is in society. Voting is the most important thing right next to getting a job and paying the house
To addresses the research question of untraditional programs to increase voter turnout, databases with records from elections are used. Organizations conduct this by comparing the registered voter International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) is an organization that conducts political research across the world since 1945. “International IDEA uses two measures: the number of registered voters and estimated voting age population (VAP)” (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, pg. 76, 2002). A big component of voter turnout is measured in IDEA is registration. “Registration is useful in that in many countries it is a prerequisite for voting, so the number of registered voters reflects those who may actually be able to cast a vote” (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, pg. 76, 2002). While Registration measurable factor that was presented I decide not to use it because it opens the data set to ignore citizens who are eligible but did not register. IDEA is one of my major data sources due to their large volume of information but not my only
Lundell, Krister. "Civic participation and political trust: The impact of compulsory voting." Representation 48, no. 2 (2012): 221--234. http://www.tandfonline.com.berlioz.brandonu.ca/doi/abs/10.1080/00344893.2012.683488#.UzpID1oo7IU