The article that I chose to analyze discusses the area of voter turnout. Voter turnout is an area that is near and dear to me because the opportunity to voice our opinions through voting is a civil responsibility and ultimately our first opportunity to be involved in the political system. Voter turnout is not a topic that is new, but it has manifested itself more and more over the years, and it is now a huge topic of discussion in society. With different states instituting voting laws, voter turnout seems to be on the decline. Why is this so? How do voting laws cause a decline in voter turnout at the polls? The article that I chose explains the relationship between different voting laws and how they can affect voter turnout at the polls.
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The first factor that the author gives as a reason for declining voter turnout is in regard to voter registration rules. In the United States of America, it is up to each citizen when he/she becomes of age to go to a voter registration site, such as the DMV, and register themselves to vote (Hershey 2009, 87). In other countries, citizens are automatically entered into a voter database, alleviating the hassle, the confusion, and the time-consuming aspects of voter registration (Hershey 2009, 87). Another factor that leads to a decline in voter turnout in the United States is the fact that convicted felons cannot vote (Hershey 2009, 88). Personally, I believe that everyone deserves a second chance in life. Mistakes are made, but if those mistakes are held against a person, who has turned his/her life around, then what good is the act of forgiveness. God has forgiven us from our shortcomings, and I believe that it is our job as Americans to show that same type of forgiveness. Distance in which someone has to drive to vote …show more content…
The author has used data from different researchers to support his ideas as to the contributing factors related to voter turnout. The author also uses a comparative perspective to help explain and show how factors related to an election effect voter turnout. Here in North Carolina, we had voter-ID laws for a short time frame, and I saw the effects first hand on voter turnout. Personally, I do not have a driver’s license. Even though I have a learner’s permit, I can see where someone who is in my position who does not have any form of identification decides to skip the polls altogether because he/she does not want to go through the hassle of obtaining a permit or identification card in order to vote. To me, voting is extremely important, and as a government major, I have began to witness firsthand, how having a large voter turnout can have on the result of an
The voter turnout rates can lead to a multitude of things like education and more accurate votes to the simple feel of completing a civic duty. The endgame of voter turnouts is the education of voters involved (Document F) as well as the accuracy of the vote being unquestionable (Document E). This increased voter turnout can lead to the connection of people through gathering, regardless of age (Document B). “...Civic virtue; it’s sentimentality,”(Document G). The previous quote shows that civic virtue can go a long way from not only yourself emotionally, but others too. Higher voter turnout rates cannot only improve a multitude of things in our country, but also can give our nation a legitimate name.
“From 1972 to 2012, citizens 18-29 turned out at a rate 15 to 20 points lower than citizens 30 years older” from this data we can conclude that age is a demographic that affects voter turnout (What Affects Voter Turnout). Voting laws such as those of identification or registration impact voter turnout. For example, the introduction of early voting was meant to increase voter turnout, but has in fact decreased turnout (What Affects Voter Turnout). In response to the argument that the system lowers voter turnout rate, one should take the many other variables that contribute to turnout into account.
The topics discussed in this research paper are some of the political issues that the people of the United States face everyday. Starting with the Voter ID laws, which were first enacted in the 1950’s by South Carolina (1). Since than it has been a method used by registered voters to present some type of formal identification before voting at there local government poll. This created a way to insure that residents of the united states did not vote multiple times and that the actual resident registered to vote was being represented. Although the disadvantages of the Voter ID laws are also endless, by enforcing identification to be present during the time voting period people who did not have the proper documentation were not allowed to vote. This created a demising situation between people who were legally registered to vote but did not have the proper identification document to vote therefore creating less votes in the voting process.
I will now examine some of last election year’s results. Voter turnout has decreased in the past years. There are two main factors that have been coming up in the past years. First, many citizens say that who is elected in office is not as important as it once was. Secondly, younger Americans are more cynical and disconnected from politics than ever. I think there is too much information out there and another thing that might be the reason this is happening is
Data used for this term paper was obtained from Houghton Mifflin Company through the 1996 Voter's Data Set found as part of the Crosstabs package. The dependent variable (rows) I chose to highlight the 1996 U.S. presidential election voting pattern was the Final Voting Choice. The independent variables (columns) I chose were personal traits such as education, income, age, religious affiliations, race, and gender. The data made available by the Crosstabs program was compiled in a statistically scientific way by a national survey of citizens before and after the 1996 election. The objective of this research is to determine which of the personal traits of the electorate has a positive, negative, or an indifferent impact on voter turnout. Therefore, I have made the following five assertions in the below listed hypotheses:
King argues that the decline in voter turnout is attributed to disinterest in politics and presidential candidates. The article goes
The first determinant of variation in voter turnout is election differences between states; specifically, voting accessibility, early voting, how competitive the race is, and gerrymandering of districts in the state. Voting accessibility
A very controversial topic in the United States is whether or not Americans should be required to vote. Voting is a very essential piece to democracy, but many Americans today are not attending their voting location and supporting the candidate they feel is best. In recent elections, just 60% of registered voters casted their vote for a candidate. This is an issue that many people are not happy about, but whether or not there is reason to fix it is the other side to the case. Voter participation is an issue that has been going on for years, and no laws are in place currently to bring it up. Americans have been proud to live in a “free country”, and a law forcing citizens to vote may be against America’s principles. Compulsory voting should
Since the United States of America established itself as its own self-governing country, one of the things that caused it to be salient and stand out from other countries is its relentless insistence on functioning as a democracy. Wars and protests have occurred so that every type of people, whether it was women or African Americans, may be granted the right to vote. Having a say in the American government is an honor and a privilege bestowed upon American citizens when they reach the age of eighteen. However, in recent years, statistics have shown that voter turnout and participation in recent elections has been rapidly and steadily declining, causing the United States to have the lowest voter participation in the world (“Is the System
that resulted in the prevention of voting, but more than a debar in society’s participation, the lack
The U.S Constitution gives the states considerable latitude in the way of conducting elections. The American citizens have many opportunities to vote. However, a turnout in American elections has dramatically decreased over the past several decades. In order to address this issue, majority of states have allowed absentee voting reforms. These convenient reforms are thought to increase the voter turnout in the elections, as well as to reduce administrative costs.
In addition to that, understanding how voter ID laws may impact election results, will in return, contribute to the efforts that aim to understand the agenda behind the recent and rapid spread of such laws. Thus, if my results are what I think they will be then voter ID laws will be known for what they really are, an attempt at voter oppression. Moreover, there certainly are limitations to this research proposal. For instance, while this research should present some insight into the impact of voter ID laws, the fact remains that there is a limited number of election results that could demonstrate the true range of impact that voter ID laws have on voter turnout rates. Therefore, future research will be able to benefit from the increased volume of data on election results, and in return perhaps be able to build on the results of this study. In addition to that, since I have a short time window for this project, certain variables that might influence and also be contributing to lower voter turnouts will be left
A second way disenfranchisement laws affect the political voice of the wider community is through a phenomenon that can be referred to as collateral voter depression. Multiple studies have found that, where disenfranchisement laws are strict, the non-disenfranchised Black population votes at a lower rate than their otherwise similar Black counterparts in less restrictive states. Researchers controlled for variables such as the degree to which the state legislature’s racial make-up mirrors the racial makeup of the state population; segregation; concurrent elections (e.g. state-wide senatorial or gubernatorial elections); state-level voting policies such as same day registration and early voting; and individual-level characteristics, such as “age, income, gender, marital status, employment, residential mobility, children, and geographic location.” One of these studies, conducted in 2003, determined that “the probability of voting declines at a greater rate for African Americans compared to Caucasian Americans, when they live in states with restrictive criminal disenfranchisement laws, even for those who have never been convicted of a crime.” A 2016 study reached similar conclusions, finding that
In the article “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter” by Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Popkin, it is argued that the decline in voter participation in national elections since 1972 is an illusion created by the Bureau of the Census because it uses the voting-age population to calculate voter turnout instead of calculating the population of citizens who are eligible to vote (2001, 963).
One example of registration laws that effect voter participation includes the House Bill 1355. In 2011 Florida voted on House Bill 1355 placing new regulations on community organization that have helped eligible voters to register (Herron, Smith 2013). Seeing as Florida is a swing state and every four years during presidential elections the state and its residents can determine who will be the next president of the United States, it’s important for communities and organizations to mobilize the people to go out and vote. Although a federal judge in 2012 later blocked the legislation that was making it difficult for third party registration organizations the damage was already done. For a prominent voting organization opted out of doing registration drives when the House Bill 1355 was initially passed (Herron, Smith). The implementation of the Bill influenced the upcoming presidential election in 2012 by slowing the voter registration of thousands of Floridians. Bills like the 2011 House Bill 1355 only raises the cost in the rational choice model making it only more probable that people will just opt out of voting because they don’t want to deal with the time-consuming process. When registering to vote one must adhere to the states laws and comply with the process of registration. Because each state has their own legislation and laws that their residents must follow, it crucial for people to get some information on the state registration process in order to vote.