Voting in America Essay

Since 1972, youth voter turnout has been on the decline. According to the Child Trends Databank, 50 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 participated in the 1972 presidential election (2015). Nearly three decades later, the percentage of young adults aged 18 to 24 who voted in the 2000 presidential election had dropped eighteen

Being able to cast my first vote in the 21st century is a privilege. My generation needs to accept their patriotic responsibility and vote because many reforms are needed in order to carry us into the new millennium. Voting reforms are necessary to inspire political participation for other modifications and adjustments needed in areas such as health care, education, and Social Security, all which we as young people will face in the future. Participation in elections is necessary to facilitate and enable progress, but our present day system of voting is expiring by frustrated Americans.

In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.

The United States national elections have been experiencing a steady decline of eligible voters showing up to vote. This steady decline has been ongoing since experiencing a significant increase in voter turnout from 1948 through 1960. Over the years there has been significant, meticulous research done to try to pinpoint the cause of the decline in voter turnout over years. All of this research has led to the production of an enormous number of literatures written on the perceived causes. The vast amount of literature produced has led to a number of competing explanations about this decline. The quest for the answer to the question of, why this decline in voter turnout, is very important for an overwhelming majority of Americans and

It was a cold November day as people gathered around their television, eagerly awaiting the news of the 2000 Presidential election. Would the victor be Texas governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore? It was a close election, with Bush only leading by 537 votes. “The 2000 presidential election was the first in 112 years in which a president lost the popular vote, but captured enough states to win the electoral vote.” (The Disputed Election) However, if the majority of eligible Americans would have voted, the outcome may have been different. Throughout American history, the number of voting participants diminishes. According to Warren E. Miller, “[n]early 63 percent of the voting-age populace went to the polls in 1960, when John F. Kennedy

Over the last few decades, we have seen a shift in voter participation, and involvement in the election arena rather it be national, state, and or local levels. According to Time Magazine, 2014 mid-terms voter turnout was at a 72 year low. At only 36.4% of U.S, eligible voters voted in 2014 mid-terms, down from 40.9% that voted in 2010 mid-terms. Analyst views the decline as the “millennial generation” coming into effect, which clearly indicates the age group (18-33) seems to have a significantly lower turnout rate compare to the older age groups. With less participation in state and local elections, we now face decisions such as elections in South Carolina being cancelled if the incumbent as no challenge, according to Cindi Scoppe associate editor at “The State”. This doesn’t provide ample explanation considering that the mid-terms elections do in fact represent a significant portion of state-level elections, which ultimately allows individuals to experience policies being implemented at a much greater effect. So the questions arise are we happy with single file candidates ascending to the elected office with no election? Is it the lack of interest or it doesn’t matter who’s in the seat? What does this say about the public responsibility for electing these people as our representatives to make decisions that impact our daily lives?

This source focuses on the decline in voter turnout over the past few decades with the lead up to the 2000 Presidential election year. Comparing elections from 1960, the various "experts" have not been able to pinpoint a solid reason until a several people from Harvard come up with an interesting theory. There was a spike of people making time to vote in 1992, showing that the American people were not happy with the economy. This leading to the idea that people are on the whole, satisfied with Government in the way in how politics affects their lives. There is more to pull from this spin on why people do not go to the polls, and I feel that this article can add another angle to the polling drought that affects the US elections. I found it by searching “Low Voter Turnout” in the National Newspapers Core database.

Voter turnout in American is on of the lowest of the democratic countries. Totaling 60% of voter turnout when in Belgium the voter turnout is 90%. You maybe asking yourself why is the voter turnout so low in America. In this paper I will be explaining why it’s low along with why some Americans are regular voters

It is believed that higher voter turnout favors the Democratic candidate. If turnout is high, then it would be expected that the percentage of Democratic votes would be high as well. This theory is based on the idea that Democrats have less of a voter turnout than Republicans, so low voter turnout would be beneficial to Republican candidates. This paper will explore this theory and will utilize data in order to confirm if this is, in fact, the case. This paper will also look into other reasons that might contribute to a higher percent Democratic vote, such as the percentage of African Americans in a state due to the fact that African American people tend to vote for the Democratic candidate. For this study, the hypothesis is that with a higher

Voter turnout is commonly regarded as one of the most distinct issues within American politics of the last century. Though the United States once averaged a turnout rate of 78% of eligible voters in presidential elections between 1860 and 19001, the average voter turnout of the 21st century has fallen to around 52%2. The cause of the marked decline throughout the 20th century is often attributed simply to voter apathy, but the issue is much more complex. Upon analysis, it is clear that a number of factors have contributed to the decreased rate of voter turnout, of which voter apathy is perhaps the least influential. The decline in voter turnout in presidential elections from the 19th to the 20th century is most likely a result of the instatement of the Australian ballot, the structure of the American election system, and an increased disillusionment with the government over the last century.

Voter turnout has not been above sixty percent since 1968 and has not been above seventy percent since 1900. These numbers are significantly lower during midterm elections, which dip into the thirty percent range. Voter turnout is drastically lower than many other countries, placing the United States near the bottom when compared to other democracies. There are many factors that have contributed to the decline in voter participation (Patterson 170) (“Voter Turnout Data”) (“Voter Turnout in Presidential

Among non-voting Americans, many categorize into demographic groups that are being pushed out by the political system in the form of misrepresentation and corruption among government officials. According to voter trends in “Who Votes? Congressional Elections and the American Electorate: 1978–2014 ” by Thom File, Americans with low incomes, lower levels of education, younger Americans, and minorities are among some of the demographic groups experiencing the lowest voter rates. On the other hand, the wealthy, higher educated, older, and non minority white

During the national elections in the US, the voter turnout often has been noticeably scant. People who have majored in political science and those who remained in that field discuss whether or not the minuscule turnout for the presidential election is acceptable for the country or no. As it’s discussed before, this is one incident where facts can be brought out for each individual to decide on their own if they accept the facts as a positive or negative. With that being brought to the forefront of your memory, I will spend the rest of this essay talking in apropos how it can be considered both positive and negative.

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

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.