...Paper #5 11/03/08 POS1001, 11am Words: 475 American voter turnout has never reached extremely high numbers, and it is a fact that barely more than half of all eligible American citizens get involved in presidential elections. Although on occasions this may baffle most practicing politicians and political scientists, there are various logical and reasonable explanations for this to occur in one of the world’s most successful economies. One of the most important is the peoples’ general satisfaction of government stability, or lack of significant dissatisfaction. Another example demonstrates that European countries automatically register its citizens at the age of eighteen to vote while American youth must personally appear and register before elections. Generally most of the youth eligible to vote tend to feel less concerned or drawn in by politics due to the lack of serious income, property, and consequently taxes. Along with this goes the income and education level of eligible voters, which either aids in the involvement and general attention, or in supports indifference and unimportance relating to policy. Throughout US history the elements of gender, race, and location have also shown to be major factors involving voter turnout. The factors of why Americans vote the way they do begin with the element of party identification, which can often be inherited and mainly influenced by and through our family and its personal ideologies reflected towards certain party. Another...
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...An explanation for low voter turnout is that a lot of people think their vote would not count. Another reason is due to voter registration requirements, as well as the fact that elections are being held on work days and as such, people are too busy to go vote. The Federal Government should indeed seek ways to increase voter turnout, since citizens’ participation in politics is the essence of a democratic government; besides it is a civil right that should be utilized. One of the ways The U.S government can increase voter turnout, is by making registration and voting, online. This would address the rigors of registration and voting, as they could be done at the comfort of one’s home or even at work; since elections are held on work days, people...
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...Democracy Voter Turnouts in Canada: Restoring a Civic Duty Grant Macewan University December 6th 2011 Political Science 101 Term Paper In a democratic system it is vital that citizens engage in their civic duty of voting; only then can a proper governing body be chosen to represent the will of the majority. Abraham Lincoln got to the core of democracy when he stated, “the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” In the last 50 years of Canadian history we have begun to see a decline in voter turnout; ranging from 80% of citizens voting in 1962, gradually dwindling to 59.1% in the year 2008 (Dickerson, Flanagan & O'Neill, 2010). It is important to understand why citizens vote the way they do in order to determine what may or may not be successful in regards to winning a majority government; factors that influence the voter’s choices include socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs and values, partisanship and confidence in political leaders. There is a great deal of debate surrounding which policies could increase voter based participation in democratic systems, but the most irrefutably successful policies would be those applied in systems of proportional representation ("Statistics by country," 2011). Voting is part of Canadian civic duty; unfortunately not all Canadians exercise their right to vote. Over the past 20 years the Canadian voter turnout has been on a steady decline, from 75.3% turnout in 1988, to 59.1% voter turnout in 2008...
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...Other scholars have also looked at the effects of automation of elections on voting behaviour, specifically on voter turnout. Card and Moretti (2007) found a negative or small effect on voter turnout in analyzing US presidential elections. He pointed out that there is “little systematic empirical evidence” on the effects of voting technology on election outcomes. Recent findings separate temporary and permanent effects of voting technology and suggest that there is a small positive but temporary effect on voter turnout and the permanent effect is not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (Allers and Kooreman 2009). Allers and Kooremen (2009) also looked at the possibility of the effect of this on vote share of parties and concluded...
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...such a low voters turnout because voters are not forced to vote. The countries with a high voter turnout have strictly enforced laws. In American you have to register to vote but in other countries if you are a citizen, you are automatically registered. If the United States changes the voting system a little, it could increase voter’s turnout. Americans need to be more educated and know each candidate’s platforms. Voter’s turnout could increase if voters did not have to work on Election Day. If America followed some of the guidelines other countries use, the United States would have a higher voters turnout. Countries with a high voter turnout are due to the countries strictly enforced voting laws. In some countries you can be fined if you do not show up to the polls to vote. America does not have strict voting laws so it is not mandatory to show up and vote. In other countries if you are a citizen of the country you are automatically considered a registered voter. The United States is one of the only countries to hold Election Day during the week. Countries with high voters turnout have Election Day on the weekend. Voters in America do not want to...
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...your district, community, by choosing its leaders. In the 2015 Fort Worth General Election, only 14, 371 residents cast vote, according to the Cumulative Report by the Tarrant County Elections Administration.1 When residents fail to do their civic duty, and vote they create a disjoint between themselves and local politicians. It further allows for small groups whose interest may not align with the majority to commandeer local politics. Taken together, the small groups interest become the only interest, and people who don’t vote become marginalized in their own community. Long ago, political machines routinely mobilized big city voters with often predictable results. Later, during the 1960s and 70s, more than two-thirds of registered voters cast ballots in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere when power shifted to racial and ethnic minorities. But now, voter participation in big cities is typically low, prompting officials to explore ways to get more people out to the polls. Anyone concerned about better transit, clean streets, efficient garbage collection and recycling, recreational facilities and well-maintained roads has good reason to vote. So, too, does anyone caring about the quality, and future, of local...
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...8. Efforts to increase voter turnout in the U.S. have not resulted in significantly higher turnout because in the end, it is always the same people who vote. While registration rules, poll closing times, and access to absentee ballots are more accessible, the same individuals still continue to attend the polls. The percentage of the eligible voting population who actually votes is only 51.55% Sadly, during local elections, the percentage is remarkably lower Parties are constantly attempting to help shape voter turnout by better establishing the right to vote, making voting easier, and getting supporters to the polls. It is not working though. This is because many individuals are simply not interested enough in the political system of their...
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...I was surprised to learn during this reading, that voter turnout has been on the decline since 1960, and that The United States has the lowest voter turnout (Evans & Michaud, 2015). I cannot help but wonder what the outcome of elections would be if everyone voted. I think everyone feels that their vote does not count, or would not make a difference so why bother. Personally, I wish we could vote on line instead of having to go in to vote. Not only would more people vote, but we could get the results faster. In order to have a successful campaign and be president, they must have good financing to pay for their advertising and other activities. The amount spent in campaigning has been on a study incline with President Obama and Mitt Romney...
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...States Voter Turn-out so Low Question 4) What are some explanations for why voter turnout is so low in the U.S. compared to other wealthy, literate and democratic countries? INTRODUCTION Voter turnout is the rate by which people vote in elections. The simplest way to calculate a given election's turnout rate is to compare the actual number of voters with the voting-age population. “Voter turnout in the United States is among the worlds’ lowest.” (E.S. 371) The graph below taken from an article written for the Huffington Post in 2012, illustrates how poor United States voter turnout has been as compared to other industrialized nations. Our voter turnout is less than half of the turnout in Belgium and Australia for example and it is getting worse. "Starting in the early 60's, the proportion of the population that turns out to vote in the U.S. steadily decreased, to the point where only slightly more than half the electorate voted in presidential elections in the last three decades of the 20th century" (E.S. 370) [pic] Although there are several factors that contribute to low voter turnout in the United States, three factors appear to have the most direct influence. • Voter Registration and Voting Processes in the United States make it more difficult to vote as compared to other nations. • The Decline of Social Capital in the United States • The decline in the strength of our political parties has contributed to voter apathy Voter Registration...
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...Mandatory Voting as a Response to Declining Voter Turnout In many parts of the world, the act of voting is seen as an act that empowers citizens and an act that gives them a voice. However, with the decline of voter turnout, this voice seems to be coming from a select few, leaving political scientists wondering about the remaining of the population. In response to this situation, many have suggested making the act of voting, a mandatory one. Making voting a compulsory act for all citizens does provide both the citizens and the political system with many benefits. However, there are those that oppose this idea, stating possible disadvantages and contradiction in ideologies. The matter in hand is tough for any nation to deal with but making voting a mandatory act proves to have more advantages than disadvantages. With the issue on hand, each side of the debate has to be given an equal opportunity to present their ideas in hopes of coming up with a viable way to deal with the situation. The hopeful outcome of making voting mandatory in countries has shown is to have an increase in voter turnout. This can be approached in different ways. For example, countries such as Switzerland, Peru, Argentina and Australia impose fines on people who do not vote. (Henry Milner 11). Other countries use other methods to single out non-voters. In Peru, voters carry around stamped cards that confirm they have voted in the election and these cards are presented at public offices for services to...
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...decades has been an issue for quite some time now, leading to the question of whether or not democracy in America is working as effectively as it could be. This is a more serious issue than most realize, especially considering only about half of eligible voters have been participating in presidential elections and much less participation in lower level elections. The average citizen living today lives in a completely different world from what this country was since its birth; the average citizen today has many more personal and financial responsibilities to tend to, and consequently, many fail to fulfill their civic duty of political participation. This combination of a hectic lifestyle, lack of concern, or sometimes even distrust towards the government and political news leads to people not being able to make time, not interested in making time, or simply refusing to make time for political participation. There are numerous ways in which citizens can participate politically, each with varying degrees of difficulty and potential strength of messages conveyed. Voting and financial contributions to causes and campaigns are the two least sophisticated and most common forms of political participation. Since all votes are equal and voters vote for a candidate due to a number of reasons instead of one, the amount of information conveyed is relatively low compared to more active and sophisticated methods of political participation. (Losco and Baker 156) Forms of political participation...
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...the lack of voter participation is particularly alarming B. Credibility Claim – I’ve done extensive research on the issue of voter apathy and I’ve found a solution C. Preview – Voter turnout is suffering, especially in Texas, because of the way the current voter registration process works, but by enabling Election Day Registration (EDR), voter turnout can be increased. II. Body A. Problem 1. For Example – In the recent gubernatorial race, we had the lowest voter turnout in the country; The Intercept, a reputable non-partisan journalism site, reports 33% turnout, down from 38% 4 years ago 2. Politifact, an organization dedicated to fact-checking the statements made by politicians, points out that the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Texas 48th in turnout in 2012, 47th in 2008 and 49th in 2006. 3. The cause? – Rock the Vote, a nationwide effort to promote voter participation, shows that the Texas registration deadline is a mere 30 days before the election. Many citizens become most interested and engaged with elections in the last few weeks before Election Day, when candidate debates and campaigns reach their peak. But registration deadlines may already have passed at that point. 4. Inaccurate voter rolls; Many previously-registered voters lose their eligibility merely because they have moved. Others are never added to the voter rolls because of bureaucratic errors, which Election Protection, a group dedicated to advancing and protecting voter rights, points...
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...Politics 10/20/2014 Voting Requirements Effect on Turnout The right to vote is a very important aspect of United States government, the voting process present itself as the representative act that the fundamental basis to our Democratic system here in the USA. Unfortunately if you go back not even a century ago African Americans and women was denied this fundamental right to vote, securing the right to vote in United States was a long battle both for African-Americans and women. We can see how voting outcomes is essential to the true democratic process by having tight voting requirement it hinders the process and effects turnout. Voting Turnout, while undergoing new legislation since the repeal of the Jim Crow Laws, are still undergoing voting suppression, still disproportionately effecting racial minorities and the poor. To truly understand how voting requirements effect voter’s turnout we would have to look at the history of voting requirements in the U.S. Throughout United States history there have been many barriers that states have imposed that restrict voting rights especially for racial minorities and the poor. One requirement that definitely made voting a little more difficult was with requiring Americans to register prior to voting this meant that not only a citizen was care enough to go out and vote on election night they also must register prior to doing so. Registration was mainly intended to stop voter fraud, so each state was allowed to create their own registration...
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...In the United States, voter apathy has been a consistent theme. Many eligible Americans fail to participate in elections. Between 1960 and 2008, the average voter turnout was approximately 49% to 63%. This means that close to half of the Americans do not really care which candidate will become their resident. In the United States, the lowest voter turnout was recorded in the year 1996 when only 49.1% of eligible Americans turned to vote. The low turnout in the country is an international disgrace. It is worrying that democracy in America has lost meaning. According to Fulton (16), one may not understand what happened to the government that Abraham Lincoln used to call “government of the people, for the people and by the people.” People should not be satisfied when...
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...taking this course. Of the many chapters discussed during this course, I found Parties and Elections in Texas (chapter 21), Public Opinion (chapter 6), and Political Participation and Voting (chapter 8) to be the most interesting and informative. Parties and Elections in Texas Political parties play a major role in Texas politics. Approximately 91 percent of Texas voters either identify with or lean toward the Republican or the Democratic Party. Despite all of the complaints about parties, they perform roles that are critical to the operation of our democratic system and to the overall coordination and functioning of our political system. The most important function of parties in Texas is to provide a label under which candidates may run and voter may identify. The party label becomes the standard used in casting a ballot for a candidate. Parties recruit candidates, assist in getting out the vote, and helps to organize the government once officials have been elected. The organization of political parties in Texas can be somewhat complex. Texas does not have a system of party registration for voters. Texas parties conduct primaries to select each party’s candidates for office. The precinct chair heads the precinct convention and serves on the county executive committee. The county executive committee is responsible for running the county’s primary elections and planning the county convention. Conventions are held at the precinct, county, and state levels. Participation...
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