Locked Out?
How the United States
Limits Voter Participation
Bill Winders
School of History, Technology, & Society
Georgia Tech
Voting in a Democracy

dēmos (people) + kratos (rule)

Voter turnout and the health of a
democracy
Voting in Our Democracy

How many people voted in the 2004 presidential
election?
Year
Turnout
18-24 yr olds
Georgia
2004
2000
1996
55
51
49
42
51
32
32
42
41
Voting in Our Democracy

At other levels of government, voter participation
becomes even lower.

Off-year congressional elections:
 2006:
 2002:
 1998:
 1994:

37% (Georgia = 31%)
37%
36% (Georgia = 31%)
39%
More young voters in 2006 – How many?
 24%
of voters under the age of 30.
Why don’t Americans vote?
Explaining Turnout in the US

1. Individual Characteristics
 Attributes

of voters vs. non-voters
2. Political Institutions
 The
“shape” of political institutions.

Rules about voting, parties, representation, etc.
US Voter Turnout in Historical
Perspective
Figure 1. Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential
Elections, 1840-2004
90
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Year
Turnout
00
20
84
19
68
19
52
19
36
19
20
19
04
19
88
18
72
18
56
18
40
0
18
Turnout (% of VAP)
80
Table 1. Average Turnout in TwentyOne Democracies, 1990-2000
Nation
Turnout
Nation
Turnout
Italy
90
Netherlands
76
New Zealand
86
Norway
76
Greece
85
Germany
72
Belgium
84
United Kingdom
72
Sweden
84
Finland
71
Australia
83
Ireland
71
Denmark
83
Russia
70
Spain
79
France
61
Portugal
79
Canada
60
Austria
78
United States
52
Switzerland
38
Election Rules and Voter Turnout:
in History
Between 1896 and
1924, turnout fell
dramatically.

Rule changes:
 Literacy
tests, poll
taxes, waiting periods,
 *Personal registration
system
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
18
40
18
52
18
64
18
76
18
88
19
00
19
12
19
24

Turnout
Election Rules and Voter Turnout:
Today

Election Day
Registration (EDR)
6
states in 2004.
 Turnout in EDR states
average about 14
percentage points
higher than other
states.
State
1. Minnesota
2. Wisconsin
Turnout
(2004)
73.0
71.5
3. Maine
71.3
4. New Hampshire 67.7
44. Georgia
50.5
US Average
55.3
Election Rules and Voter Turnout:
Today

Georgia: Multiple Primaries
 Presidential
Primary (Feb. 5): 28%
 General Primary (July 15):
12%

Barriers to Voting:
 Registration
System, Numerous elections,
Voter ID, felon disenfranchisement, etc.
Locked Out?
Voting in a Democracy

Whose voices are excluded from our democratic
process?

What does low voter turnout say about the
“health” of our democracy?

What does it say about the attitudes most people
have toward the two major parties?