Voter Turnout

by Rachel Gross

The United States is a representative democracy, in which government officials are selected by the people they represent. Elections are the bases of democracy, and without expressing our opinions by voting we relatively have no say in what may happen after the election. However, voter turnout has been on the decline in recent years. America has one of the lowest rates of voter participation of any democracy in the world. Even in a presidential general election, only about half the eligible voters turn out. In the presidential primary process and in state and local elections, the participation rate is even lower.

I believe that low voter turnout is a problem mainly because if there aren’t enough people showing up to vote then the results will not accurately reflect public opinion.   Democracy was created to represent the people and their beliefs, which unfortunately cannot be possible if citizens are not voicing their opinions through voting. I think that voter turnout will continue to decline if we don’t do something about it.

One way we can improve the participation of Americans in elections is by adopting one single set of laws to become a registered voter.  Currently, there are 50 different sets of laws for voting registration, each state having its own.  When registration becomes complicated, many citizens tend to not even become registered voters simply because the process is such a hassle. Having only one set of registration laws for the entire nation makes things but simpler and I believe that participation will significantly increase

Low Voter Turnout: A Recipe for an Unhealthy Democracy

by Allie Pizzuto

Low voter turnout in the United States is a pervasive problem that requires our prompt attention.  Citizens of the Unites States have the privilege to elect the President and members of Congress.  This privilege serves as the backbone of our nation’s representative form of democratic government.   If we do not participate in national elections, then it is more likely than not that our elected officials will not truly represent a broad cross section of our citizenry.  This will adversely impact federal laws passed in America, and also serve to weaken our national and international interests.  Actively participating in national elections serves to strengthen the legitimacy of our government, which is significantly weakened due to low voter turnout. 

           

Historically, voter turnout has swung like a pendulum over the years, rising and falling from one national election to another but never rising to levels of turnout experienced by other Western democracies.  Interestingly, voter turnout in U.S. national elections rose dramatically over a twelve year period from 1948 to 1960, but systematically dropped in almost every election afterwards until 1988 when voter turnout represented not more than fifty percent of the eligible voter pool.   Voter turnout has yet again swung like a pendulum since 1988.  For example, in 1996 voter turnout represented 52.6% of the eligible voter pool and by 2004 surpassed the 1968 level and grew to a healthier 61%.

           

Voter turnout is adversely affected by socio-economic factors such as the income levels of eligible voters.  Apparently, one study found significant inconsistencies among voter participation across wage earners, noting that approximately 86% of the eligible voter pool earning more than $75,000 indicated that they cast their votes to elect the nation’s president while only 52% of eligible voters earning less than $15,000 participated in a presidential election.   This necessarily demonstrates that America’s political process is highly influenced by the opinions of our citizens who command a higher income.  Similarly, perceived differences among eligible voters regarding their ability to effect change in national policy gives rise to low voter participation and an overall disengagement from political participation.    

In addition to socio-economic factors, other barriers such as registration issues and inconvenient election voting schedules (e.g., voting during the workday) gives rise to low voter turnout.  These barriers inflate the current levels of inequality that already exist in voter turnout participation among eligible voters in the low to high income brackets.  One solution to increase voter turnout would be to remove these barriers and significantly lessen the gap that exists in discrepancies among eligible voters.  For example, additional eligible voters who usually forego voting would probably participate in national elections if they were able to vote on a weekend (rather than during the workday).  Permitting weekend voting would also increase voter participation by eligible voters attending college on a full or part time basis. 

Although changes can be made to increase voter participation, motivating voters to actively participate in national elections and cast their votes is a stumbling block that is not easily overcome.  One way to instill motivation in eligible voters is to change misguided perceptions about voting.  Voting is not a passive activity, meaning that we do not simply cast a vote.  On the contrary, voting involves our active participation in understanding the issues and how the issues impact us, as human beings.  Active participation in the voting process is crucial to maintaining a strong democracy in America, which we will be unable to maintain over the long term if we continue to perceive voting as just casting a vote.  America’s citizens need to know that their identity and opinions matter, and that not only is it a privilege to vote and actively engage in America’s political process and future but it is also our civic duty. 

Make Us Vote

by Keerti Hariharan

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Low voter turnout, which is becoming increasingly popular in established democracies, is considered undesirable because the nation fails to get an accurate sense of what the majority wants. Low voter turnout in America could be due to indifference, laziness, or even ignorance. In the 2008 presidential election, voter turnout was 63%, and political scientists and economists are emphasizing the need to encourage more eligible citizens to vote and therefore demonstrate an accurate picture of the majority.

One reason, I believe, that citizens do not vote is that they feel their vote is insignificant. Eligible voters need to grasp the truth in the cliché: every vote counts. They need to understand the meaning of one's civic duties and understand that the privilege of citizenship comes with it a responsibility to vote.

To improve American participation, I think we need to emphasize the importance of voting in a democracy, which in its very definition requires the collective vote of the nation. If we as a nation began raising awareness to students in high school, I think we would see an improvement in participation, for many who don’t vote are simply uninformed. Taking a government class really helped raise my understanding of the importance of voting as a citizen and how this decrease in voting poses a problem for the U.S., which claims, in its democratic ways, to accurately represent the nation.

For the older generation, which wouldn't benefit from schools, perhaps trying what a few experiments tried in their attempts to increase voter participation. Several experiments were conducted during the primaries in various districts and often including reminders through mail. The concept of social pressures often arose and successfully increased voter turnout around 7 -15 % every time. One set of mail told voters that they were being studied. Another claimed that their neighbors would know whether or not the voted. A political scientist from Yale suggested that the mailings "might prick the civic conscience of a voter,” which I think is exactly what we should be doing one way or another.

Another experiment done was in Connecticut, when an "Election Day Poll Party" was organized and offered free sandwiches, a cotton-candy machine and a DJ. Turnout went up.

There are endless ways to improve American participation in elections and that the U.S. should really put in some time to raising awareness and improving voter turnout in the democratic nation.

The problem of low American voter turnout

by Anna Schlauch

Elections and voting are the most important aspects of democracy. Elections underlie the goals of democracy as they allow citizens to have influence over who is in office and how the government is run. Without the ability to vote, citizens would not have choices or a say in what is important and accountability of officials would not be ensured. A successful democracy requires elections and therefore could not exist without them.

Unfortunately, even though citizens know how important voting is to a successful democracy, voter turn out in America is very low compared to other democracies. In the United States, there are 222.5 million eligible voters, or citizens who are at least 18 years old. Among the population of eligible voters, about 65% are registered to vote, which narrows the population down to 146.5 million citizens. To even further narrow the number of voters, about 65% of register voters actually show up on election day to cast a ballot. Over the 20^th century, voter participation averaged only to about 50% in American presidential elections. It is no surprise that several other countries, such as Spain, France and Italy, have a much higher voter participation than this low percentage. These numbers clearly show that American voter turn out is without a doubt very low.

 In my opinion, the low voter turn out in our country is a problem. The main reason I believe so is if there aren’t enough people showing up to vote, the outcome of an election will not actually reflect the general population’s interests and needs. The main goal of American government is to represent and serve the people, but this cannot be accomplished if the people do not have a fair influence over who is in office. The only way to ensure that the most accountable candidate is chosen for office is if well educated and well informed citizens take the time to vote. If such citizens choose not to show up on election day, there is no way to ensure that the voice of the most informed voters will be heard. I also believe that a current low voter turn out will only lead to an even lower turn out in the future, so I think something needs to be done now to fix this problem before it gets even worse.

Although there are many possible ways to fix the low voter turn out in America, not all are reasonable. I think one reasonable way to improve American participation in elections is to make registration easier. As I noted earlier, about 65% of eligible voters are actually registered to vote. The only way to increase this number is to make registration easier. In America, states set registration laws, so there are 50 different sets of laws for voter registration. I believe that if there was one set of laws, registration would be perceived by citizens as much easier and more reasonable. This reform would make voter registration more uniform and would ensure that a citizen does not need to re-register if he/she chooses to move to a new state. A reform to make voter registration easier by making one uniform set of registration laws for the whole country would definitely help fix voter turn out in America. If registration is less of a hassle and more permanent, more citizens will register to vote, therefore increasing voter turn out in America. The only way to ensure a successful democracy is to increase the number of Americans who vote, something that will be achieved if voter registration is reformed.

April 2013 Prompt: Voting

For the last few weeks, we've been studying elections and voting behavior.  By now, you know that free elections are the backbone of successful democracy.  It seems fitting, therefore, to consider a couple of questions about voting.  Consider, is low American voter turnout a problem?  If you don't think so, please explain why not.  If you are concerned about low American voter turnout, then please identify and explain one way we can improve American participation in elections.