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Voter Turnout

            A very disturbing trend that has emerged recently in our political system is the steady decline in voter turnout. In a country that values democracy as deeply as the American people, it is hard to believe that we are experiencing almost a two to three percent drop in voter turnout every election. When elections such as these affect many aspects of your social political and economical situation and not simply which candidate is elected to office, one must consider what factors would cause almost half of the population in the United States to fail to vote on election day. The solution to this problem will require researching many different aspects of the voting process to get a better understanding of who fails to vote and what reasons cause them not to vote.
             After the election of 1960 a discouraging trend of low voter turnout appeared in our political system. In the presidential election of 1960 there was a 63.1% turnout of the voting age population. In the years following this election, we have seen an average decrease of (calculate exact amount) every year in voter turnout. This trend continued through our presidential election of 2000 where there was only a 51.3% turnout which actually was an increase from the 49.1% of the previous election. This trend is not only present in our presidential elections but also in many other national and statewide elections. For example, in the congressional election of 1962 there was a 47.3% turnout and then in 2000 there was only a 36.4% turnout. It seems that the United States is not alone in this trend because many other democracies across the world are also experiencing similar declines. Unfortunately, the United States is second to last in voter turnout among democratic nations. The only country with a lower turnout is Switzerland with a 34.9% voter turnout rate. It is not likely that a generic solution will be found that can be used across the world but looking at other countries may help to understand why we are experiencing this steady decline.


Essays Related to Voter Turnout

1. Reasons For Low Voter Turnout

... citizens have no motivation to vote as they once did. They are not made to feel that their vote matters. Some people argue that lower voter turnout is not necessarily bad. It could mean the people are satisfied with the present state of the government. It may also be better because the number ... cast is higher due to the fact that highly educated people tend to vote more frequently. There are many steps that could be taken to increase voter turnout in the United States. One step is to place more significance on the voting process by declaring voting day a holiday. This would eliminate ...

  • Word Count: 565
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Presidential Elections and Voter Turnout

... the lowest it's been in any election cycle since World War II."3 One of the main issues, plaguing the U.S. Government, is low voter turnout. American citizens are not interested in participating in government. `There have been many attempts to mobilize the voting eligible citizen. With the passing of the 19th and 26th Amendments, more ... has been simplified, so eligible citizens can register to vote the same day of an election if they want. However, based on voter turnout over the last few decades, these efforts have done little to nothing. This is because the efforts to make voting e...

  • Word Count: 1811
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Low Voter Turnout

... U.S. About 50 percent of Americans vote in the presidential election, however, only a third of Americans vote in midterm congressional elections. Voter turnout is low because eligible voters don't know the candidates, are too busy in their daily lives, think it's pointless to vote, ... governing body does not have to worry about requirements, they are automatically registered to vote. Another factor that helps voter turnout is that elections are held on weekends. This improves voter turnout because people who work during the week are not subject to losing work hours in the time it takes...

  • Word Count: 661
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Low Voter Turnout

... U.S. About 50 percent of Americans vote in the presidential election, however, only a third of Americans vote in midterm congressional elections. Voter turnout is low because eligible voters don't know the candidates, are too busy in their daily lives, think it's pointless to vote, ... governing body does not have to worry about requirements, they are automatically registered to vote. Another factor that helps voter turnout is that elections are held on weekends. This improves voter turnout because people who work during the week are not subject to losing work hours in the time it takes...

  • Word Count: 642
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Low Voter Turnout

... looking at demographic characteristics and institutional obstacles associated with nonvoting, we may begin taking steps to understand the reasons for such low voter turnout. Demographic characteristics associated with low voter turnout are a result of the nature of people. Education plays a major role in voter turnout. Those that are not knowledgeable about politics are known to be less affiliated than those with more extensive educational backgrounds. Many ... is standing in line for his permit test, he/she might as well take another 5 minutes to bother registering. Another reason why ...

  • Word Count: 918
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Texas Voter Turnout

Why is voter turnout low in Texas? Texas is ranked the 42nd in registration of voters and 44th state in the number of people discussing politics or contacting public officials. The low civic participation and voters turnout in Texas can be explained with the following factors. Firstly, the two-party system dynamics contribute to it, since citizens can be unable to ... participation in elections? There are a number of factors that should be taken into account concerning the issue of increasing the voters turnout. Making the voter registration and state voting rules easier will increase the vot...

  • Word Count: 458
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Election Integrity and Voter Identification

... Most liberal groups suggest or make assumptions that laws mandating an individual to produce a photo ID before they can vote is a form of discrimination intended to hinder or suppress voter turnout especially among minorities. Republicans claim such laws validate elections, as one illegal vote negates a legal vote. While both sides of the debate will be discussed and analyzed, the ... , the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law requiring a government-issued photo ID in order to cast a ballot(Political Parties & Elections, p.157-158). The fact is, with the voter identification laws th...

  • Word Count: 2524
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography

8. Voter ID Laws and Democracy

... all citizens. In a lawsuit brought against the state of Pennsylvania on the behalf of possibly disenfranchised voters, Judge Robert Simpson of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of a voter ID law that could stop thousands of Pennsylvania residents from voting. His reasoning behind this: ""The photo ID requirement is a reasonable, nondiscriminatory, nonsevere burden when viewed in the broader ... Patterson, plaintiffs argued that making it particularly hard for some voters to prove their eligibility violates the Pennsylvania Constitution's guarantee of "free and equal" e...

  • Word Count: 2997
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Federal Court Finds Texas Voter ID Requirements Discriminatory

... of Texas argued that they had rights to protect their elections and that historically, voter ID laws did not have a huge impact on voter turnout (USA Today). Attorney General Eric Holder compared the voter ID law to poll taxes enforced in the days after Reconstruction when blacks were not ... they need in order to get a photo ID, which clearly discriminates against the poor (USA Today). In 2011, South Carolina attempted a similar voter ID requirement, which was turned down by the Justice Department. At that time, Mitt Romney, who is now a Republican presidential candidate, said the ... ...

  • Word Count: 786
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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