The Elections Of South Carolina

The behavior of voters has great importance to politics as the people decide mainly who wins. The study of the behavior of the electorate has increased as politicians seek to appeal to the voters and find ways to gain followers and most importantly votes. The two articles Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory and The Responsible Electorate discuss the behavior of voters in the United States, and the importance of the electorate.

     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

Voting has not always been as easy as it is today. It is interesting to examine how far America has progressed in its process of allowing different types of people to be able to vote. Voting was once aimed at a particular group of people, which were white males that owned their own property. Today, most people over the age of eighteen can vote, except for the mentally incompetent or people who have been convicted of major felonies in some states. The decline of voter participation has always been a debate in the public arena. According to McDonald and Popkin, it is “the most important, most familiar, most analyzed, and most conjectured trend in recent American political history (2001, 963)” The question is, how important is voter

“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.

America should abolish the electoral college voting system because it is an outdated and undemocratic system. This claim addresses an issue of policy because it calls for necessary action by the Supreme Court to abolish America’s current voting system. The claim urges America to take action and reevaluate if the electoral college is a voting system that should continue to be in use. An issue of substantiation is slightly underlying within this claim as well; if American citizens constantly feel as if their vote doesn’t matter, nor make a difference due to the way the electoral college works, a voter depression turnout may continue to increase, and an apathetic attitude will continue to emerge towards the elections.

Franklin. The theory proposed in this article is “elections that do not stimulate high turnout among young adults leave a ‘footprint’ of low turnout in the age structure of the electorate” (Franklin, 2004). The methodology involved examine the voting patterns of 22 countries that have held elections continuously since 1945. This number total 356 elections and provides a strong pool of data to draw conclusions from. The results brought forth a number of different variables that impact voter turnout. Such variables are the frequency at which elections are held - the closer together equates to a decrease in turnout, to the impact of lowering the eligible voting age. Interesting any country that lowered the voting age can expect to see a drop of 3.8% in a span of 40 years (Franklin, 2004). Additionally the analysis discovered that the Baby Boomers, which earlier were stated to be 20% more active voters in Canada, are 7% less likely to vote globally than their parenting generation. The conclusion for this article is that there is a reduction in the competitive nature of elections (less likely to bring about policy changes), and a decrease in the age when voters become eligible. Both of these declines generate an environment where the younger

At a City Hall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio when asked about the topic of mandatory voting laws (Jackson 2015), President Obama stated, “If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country.” (Stephanopoulos 2015 p5) (Evidence: Testimony) He is right, if everyone voted the political map in the country would be completely different---and not for the better. Compulsory voting can potentially cause the nation 's true political viewpoints to be misrepresented, thus hindering political progression, by making voters feel obligated to choose candidates that may not represent their ideas and forcing the politically disengaged to select random ballots.

Since a robust voter turnout is instrumental to the functioning of a healthy democracy, the ongoing decline of youth voter turnout in Canada is highly alarming. According to the Canadian Election Study, the reported voter turnout among Canadians aged 18 to 24 dropped from 83 percent in 1974 to 60 percent in 2000 (Barnes and Virgint, 2010). The aim of this paper is to explain this decline. While it is generally accepted that people’s propensity to vote increases as they age in their “life-cycle”, it does not provide an adequate explanation for the decline of voter turnout among young Canadians. This paper argues that the decline of youth electoral participation in Canada is, by and large, “generational” in nature – it can be attributed by the underlying characteristics of the youth generation. Young Canadians are more apathetic towards the political process, have a lower level of political knowledge, and view voting as less of a moral obligation than older Canadians and young Canadians in past generations.

Voter turnout have always been a huge issue in politics. It was extremely evident in the past election cycle when private citizens and even celebrities started going door to door and using more platforms to encourage voting in millennials and everyone else over the age of eighteen. However, there has been a growing debate amongst people whether or not voter turnout and behavior is a serious issue in our democracy. Some suggest that is and some suggest that it is not. Personally, I see that it is an issue, especially in local elections. First, we’re going to look into why some say that this is a threat to our country and how it runs. Secondly, we’re going to talk about why some say it is not an issue and lastly, I’ll address my own belief and

Voter turnout has been declining in the United States throughout history through the potential voters’ personal choice not to vote and ineligibility. According to research a large percentage of individuals are not voting because political parties fail to appeal to the voters and this leads to the voting population losing interest in the campaign, while others postpone registering and by the time they realize their delay the election is upon them.

From the seventies to present times elections have changed with technological advances and the development of society. But though they have changed, they have largely stayed the same. Throughout history candidates push to try and reach out to the people of America, attempting to grab their vote. This has been the purpose forever, so some things will always stay the same. But as the world grows older, elections change with

The percentage of citizens eligible to vote but who nevertheless opt out is a growing concern in contemporary America; as of the 2008 presidential election “only 64 percent of qualified citizens voted” (Carl, 2013). Such a lack of voting has been termed “voter apathy,” which is defined as “a phenomenon in which citizens with the right to vote choose not to” (Carl, 2013). It is common knowledge that throughout history minority voters are most often the ones who express this indifference towards voting in comparison to whites (Carl, 2013). Voter apathy often results from the misguided perception that one person’s vote will not make a difference. A myriad of solutions are available for the government to implement in order to create a more efficient

While thousands of politicians launch undetermined bids for exponentially fewer seats, thousands more voters are preparing for an equally dubious escapade. One question gaining audience during the carnivalesque prelude to the next presidential election is the obvious, the emphatic, “Who are you voting for?” This question will be repeated over telephone lines, through online surveys or whispered between co-workers. For many, this is a time for camaraderie- a time for “us” and “them.” For a growing number, however, the answer to the insistent question won’t be a name or a party of alignment. The unfulfilling answer will be a resounding, “I’m not.” This cynical sentiment will become a catalyst for some, an exhaust for others. Within the masses of disenchanted voters one can find a surplus of justification. From where I stand, the viable reason to stay away from the polls is singular. The act of voting in the next presidential election brings the individual no closer to truth, justice, liberty, equality or choice. While voting remains a symbolic act of our liberty and freedom, it is just that- a symbol. The privilege of voting is eroded by the unnecessary complexity of its own mechanics.

As an African-American Male in the United States of America, the opportunity to exercise my constitutional right to vote in the 2016 Presidential election was an honor. During this time, I was a first-year college student in another city outside of my permanent residency in Texas; therefore, I decided to vote using an absentee ballot. However, using this method to vote was a concern because of possible fraud. Nevertheless, as a new voter, I proceeded with filing in my absentee ballot early in the voting process, although skeptical about the tabulation and tallying processes. On November 8, 2016, imagine my surprise when I learned that Donald J. Trump was the President of the United States of America. In view of this information, my initial reaction was “what the bleep is wrong with Americans”! Subsequently, social media websites across the country erupted with anger and joy depending on your candidate preference. As a result, Millennials expressed their anger on social media websites to the Electoral College for ignoring the will of the people. However, the anger from the Millennials did not matter since the premise of the Electoral College was before our time, giving the elite the right to decide the Presidency on the behalf of the less educated. As a result, the elite Electoral College voters decided to elect a scandalous administration to run our country. Based on social media comments, Millennials believe that Congress needs to disestablish this antiquated

As an African-American in the United States of America, the opportunity to exercise my constitutional right to vote in the 2016 Presidential election was an honor. During this time, I was a first-year college student in another city outside of my permanent residency in Texas; therefore, I decided to vote using an absentee ballot. However, using this method to vote was a concern because of possible fraud. Nevertheless, as a new voter, I proceeded with filing in my absentee ballot early in the voting process, although skeptical about the tabulation and tallying processes. On November 8, 2016, imagine my surprise when I learned that Donald J. Trump was the President of the United States of America. In view of this information, my initial reaction was “what the bleep is wrong with Americans”! Subsequently, social media websites across the country erupted with anger and joy depending on your candidate preference. As a result, Millennials expressed their anger on social media websites to the Electoral College for ignoring the will of the people. However, the anger from the Millennials did not matter since the premise of the Electoral College was before our time, giving the elite the right to decide the Presidency on the behalf of the less educated. As a result, the elite Electoral College voters decided to elect a scandalous administration to run our country. Based on social media comments, Millennials believe that Congress needs to disestablish this antiquated process.