Low Voter Turnout Essay

501 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Factors affecting turnout election

Did you know that Texas is consistently one of the worst states for voter turnout? This question leads you to think, why is voter turnout so low and what can we do to increase voter turnout? Different factors come into play such as demographics and legal constraints, but these factors also show us how we can apply new tactics to increase voter turnout.
According to the textbook, “The most important demographic variables are education, income and age.” Texas has a very uneven background due to these factors. In other words, the rich and educated vote, while the poor and uneducated stay home. The Texas Observer shows excellent proof of this with Presidential election turnout of 2008. Areas of white middle-class suburbs have turnouts of 85-99 percent while areas of poor minority communities have voter turnouts as low as 23 percent. Politicians tend to campaign in areas where they know people are going to vote, leaving the other areas untapped. …show more content…

Texas Public Radio also examines how the states Republican party has passed legislation to make voting and registering more difficult. The Latino population in Texas shows proof of how these legal constraints play a role, by the number of Latino voter turnouts being so low. The article on Texas public radio explores this topic with an organization called “Texans Together” that works with lower income communities to help them get out to vote. When asking citizens about voting they state that, "In the end it doesn't make a difference if you vote or not, because even if you voted your vote is counted, but it's not going to make a difference because more people could vote for something else and that's going to win." These communities are uneducated about topics that apply directly to them and they do not realize the impact they can have on certain extreme

Show More
Related

  • Texas Plural Executive

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    An issue in Texas today is whether the public have sufficient control over the executive branch of Texas government. Texas has a plural executive, which mean the public not only elects the Lieutenant Governor, but also the Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, and Agricultural Commissioner (Benson, Clinkscale, and Giardino 216). These elections add significantly to the “long ballet” that the public can vote for. Some argue that because there are so many to vote for, people cannot adequately vote for the positions. The research and attention needed to stay up to date on the elections can steer people away from voting. Many people vote for the governor and the lieutenant governor because of the title and how high the positions are.

    Read More

  • Texas’ Individualistic and Traditionalistic Culture: The Impact these Ideologies have had on Texas State Government and the Reasons People Support t

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    The people of Texas are diverse and carry their “big can-do attitudes and accents” (Pearson); making Texas a bigger than life state. The political culture of Texas is impacted by two different subgroups of individualistic and traditionalistic characteristics. The combination of traditionalism and individualism has had a huge impact on the state and Texas’ seven different constitutions. The shift in power between 1827 and 1876 has impacted the political diversity Texas has today. Looking at the specifics of these subcultures, the traditionalists believe government should benefit the wealthy and powerful, and that government services must be limited.

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout Assignment

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Voting is one of the citizens’ rights living in a country. In the past, not everyone can vote. Voting used to be for only white American men. However, our ancestors fought for that rights. Eventually, any American who are older than eighteen can vote, despite their race or gender. In addition, voter turnout is used to keep track of the voting. It is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Unfortunately, the voter turnout has been decreasing over time, and it means that there are less and fewer people who actually show up and vote. This essay will discuss the voter turnout in Harris County, Texas.

    Read More

  • Political Change In Texas Politics

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Texas went through a great amount of political change from being dominated by the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 70s, from the Republican Party taking over in the 80s. One of the big reasons for this change was due to the political party’s views. Throughout this essay I will discuss the changes of the political stances in Texas as well as the present day factors that affect America.

    Read More

  • The Changing Demographics of Texas

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States, for the last four decades, from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan through the two Bush Presidency, the Republican Party won the White House by amassing large margins among white voters (Lizza). The state of Texas has been reliably Republican since the 1970s and there are various elements to Texas political culture that can be narrowed down to three essential ideological trends: economic liberalism, or faith in the free market economy, social conservatism, or favoring traditional values and moralism, and populism, or promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people (Texas Political Culture). As a result, the dominant political mood in Texas favors low taxes, minimal government services, and policies that are pro-business. This phenomenon is not static, however, since changing demographics in the state are causing changes in the profile of Texas in reference to electoral politics, among other major issues. This paper will explore different perspectives on the changing demographics of Texas, and where they might lead the state politically, and will present a variety of viewpoints regarding this complex subject.

    Read More

  • Explain the low turnout in U.S. elections.

    1742 Words  | 4 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • The Latino Journey in the United States: Immigrants

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    Diana Evans, Ana Franco, J.L. Polinard, James P. Wenzel, Robert D. Wrinkle. “Ethnic concerns and Latino party affiliation.” The Social Science Journal 49.2 (2012) 150–154

    Read More

  • Change in the Political Climate of Texas

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the youth of Texas, the Democratic Party enjoyed electoral dominance on all levels of state government and in the representation in the national government. Democratic rule was dominated by a conservative white political elite that strongly promoted economic development, but that resisted change either in race relations or social programs for the poor ("Texas Politics," 2009). Republicans were not completely absent during this period, but their electoral victories were few and limited in scope ("Texas Politics," 2009). In every election after 1980, however, the Republican strength grew into the now dominant rule that currently reigns in Texas. Since the 1990’s, the Republican Party, despite the attempts of others, has had a stronghold on the state government. With that being said, the Republican Party has dominated the overall elections.

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout Decline in the United States

    2612 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Voter ID Law

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    The new law has seen multiple, willing and able, voters turned away at the polling station for unacceptable or expired photo IDs. It also turns away people low on income, mainly because of the cost of photo IDs or the cost to replace vital documents, like birth certificates. With the implication of the new voter ID law, it is certain that it will have an implication on voter turnouts at the polls, mainly seen by minority and elderly voters. Those, like justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prove that the new voter ID law has very lasting and unfair effects on voters who are deemed “unfavorable.” Even a U.S. district judge in Corpus Christi ruled that the law “constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax” and “has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose.” African-Americans and Latinos are more likely to lack appropriate photo IDs, disenfranchising approximately 600,000 voters. Even if the state offers a free photo ID, these types voters, some of who are in the low-income tax bracket, may not be able to get their hands on necessary documents, such as a birth certificate which cost around $23, to obtain one. The new ID laws can prove to be a large hurdle for multiple types of people, causing a lot of stress to people who just want to perform their civic

    Read More

  • Voting Participation in the United States

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Low Turnout In Texas Essay

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    What are the consequences of low turnout for Texas? Who is negatively affected by low turnout? Who benefits from low turnout? How can we as citizens improve turnout?

    Read More

  • Mimes of America: Voting in Texas

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    Voter turnout, according to the text, “. . .means the portion of the eligible citizens who actually cast ballots--not the portion of those registered, . . . (142).” Data reveals that the voter turnout of Texas is relatively lower than that of the United States as a whole. During presidential elections, voter turnout is higher than that of state and local elections. For example, the text states that in the 2008 presidential balloting, Texas voter turnout was about eight percentage points below the national turnout level(142). However, the voter turnout of the United States compared to that of other countries is lower than the global level. In a graph presented for voter turnout rate of registered voters, the United States is located on the bottom of the list. From U.S News, Flock states,“The U.S has one of the lowest voter turnout rates of any rich democracy in the world(Flock).” Factors that influence voting around the world, for example, may be the choice to submit a vote online, such as in India, rather than going into a v...

    Read More

  • The Decrease in Voter Turnout

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States presidential election of 2012 was the 57th presidential election. The election was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. The Democratic political leader was the incumbent President Barack Obama, and his candidate was vice President Joe Biden. Throughout this election the proportion of eligible voters who cast ballots shows that the rate was lower than in the past two presidential elections. Voter turnout decreased from 62.3 percent of eligible citizens voting in 2008 to an estimated 57.5 in 2012. The above calculation was also below the 60.4 percent in 2004 election, however above the 54.2 percent turnout in the 2000 election. Despite a rise of over eight million voters within the fitted population, turnout dropped from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012. When all ballots were computed, some 93 million eligible voters didn’t vote. There must be some contributing factors to see why there's a decline in voters’ turnout.

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout?

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    America’s low voter turnout has been attributed to the political parties’ failure to enliven the potential voters with the awareness and competitiveness in elections and the overall difficulty of the registration and voting process. The research portion of this project was predominantly provided from four books focused on voter turnout, whether it was perceived to be increasing or decreasing. The article was found using one of the books and altogether the sources provided analytical and institutional perspectives on American voter turnout. I believe voter turnout, along with voter registration, is steadily declining in America due to multiple factors, though the topics touched on above are largely impacting us today.

    Read More

More about Low Voter Turnout Essay

Open Document