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Adriana Rocha
Political Science 1100
Persuasive Essay
U.S. Voter Turnout
“Seen in comparative perspective, American voter turnout presents an interesting
paradox. Americans seem to be more politically aware and involved than citizens in any
other democracy, yet the levels of voter turnout in the United States are consistently far
below the democratic average” (G. Bingham Powell). Low voter turnout is a problem in
the United States because it shows lack of interest. Many Americans may feel that their
one vote does not matter however, that is not the case. “Not to discount the big election,
but the latter is where your vote really matters. After all, local elections are just as
important for their immediate impact on your lives as the big ones.” (True The Vote)
Here in America, Americans are given the right to Vote to make a difference and elect
someone to be the voice, a leader that not only represents the ideas and a beliefs of the
people but also makes decisions to better the well being of the people.
A key reason to look at is voter efficacy, both internal and external. Internal
efficacy deals with how a person feels that his or her skills, knowledge, and abilities can
have an effect on the political system. This type of efficacy often indicates the likelihood
of a person to vote or become politically active, as he or she feels what he or she has to
offer can really make an impact on the political system. External efficacy has to do with
how a person feels his or her government responds to his or her needs and how well the
political system and government reflect his or her needs and concerns. This type can have
a great deal to do with trust and to what degree a person feels his or her government cares
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about him or her and the needs of others like him or her. Low external efficacy can often
indicate apathy toward politics or government, and citizens with a sense that the
government does not represent them. Both forms can be used as indicators of potential
voter turnout, as well as prevailing attitudes toward the government and the popularity of
anti-establishment movements. Those with lower political efficacy tend to be more likely
to support reform candidates, though they may not actually vote as they feel that their
actions do not actually affect the political process. Higher efficacy tends to indicate those
who will likely vote because they believe they have an effect on the government, and
may support the incumbent since they likely feel the government is already effectively
representing them. (wiseGEEK)
Americans may feel that their vote does not make a difference because they feel
that no matter whom they vote for, it’s already preset on who is expected to win for
instance the election between BUSH vs. GORE.
In this popular vote pie chart,
Bush is represented in the blue
while Al Gore is represented in
red. Popular Pie chart (Leip).
The popular vote for Al Gore had 51,003,926 while George Bush had 50,460,110 votes
(Leip). As we all know The United States Electoral College is the process that officially
elects The President and The Vice President of The United States. In the Electoral
College, George Bush had 271 votes and Al Gore had 266 votes.
In this Electoral
College vote pie chart,
Bush is represented in
blue, Gore in Red
(Leip).
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Why do some people feel more politically empowered than others? What factors
cause people’s sense of empowerment to increase or decrease? Political efficacy, or the
feeling that an individual can influence the political process, has been a longstanding
subject of interest in political psychology (Harder).
Since 1972, when the voting age was dropped to 18, young people have been
increasingly disinterested in casting a ballot for president (Loden). There were
approximately 46 million 18-29 year olds that were eligible to vote in 2012 (Young
Democrats of America (YDA)) and only 19% actually voted (Kingkade). The situation
with that is that most of the problems that are concerning middle age adults do not
concern younger adults. “They told me that the federal government works like a machine,
and that changing presidents means little more than changing the picture they hang up at
the post office. That it's an hour gone from their day, with little to show for it. The issues
they care about -- climate change, civil rights, the war on drugs, prisons -- are almost
never discussed, and there is such a gulf between what candidates say they will do and
what they do in office that it's impossible to trust anyone” (Morris). Medicare is a big
reason why middle age or even older citizens would vote but this does not really affect
young adults. Politicians are not addressing the issues that concern young adults so in
result they do not feel a reason to vote in elections. Many politicians only care about
middle age citizens because that’s where most of the problems are and this is where they
will get the most of their votes.
The accessibility to vote is another issue as to why voter turnout is low. One law
that was passed that makes it somewhat easier to vote is The National Registration Act of
1993, which makes it “easier for all Americans to register to vote and to maintain their
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registration.” Effective in most states as of January 1, 1995, this legislation applied to 44
states and the District of Columbia. Six states -- Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire,
North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming -- were exempt from the NVRA's provisions
because those states either had no voter-registration requirements or they offered
opportunities for election-day registration at polling places (also known by the acronym
NVRA, or, alternatively, as the “Motor Voter Act”) (discoverthenetwork.org). While
there is the Motor Voter Act that makes it easer to register to vote, it does not make it
easier to actually go and vote for elections.
Too many Americans live a busy life and find excuses as to why they cannot
make it to the voting polls or even send in their ballot. For this reason, they should make
compulsory voting a law. “In some countries, notably Australia and Belgium, electoral
participation is legally required, and nonvoters can face fines. The concept of compulsory
voting reflects a strain in democratic theory in which voting is considered not merely a
right but a duty. Its purpose is to ensure the electoral equality of all social groups.”
(Encyclopaedeia Britannica) Compulsory voting would benefit Americans because then it
would make mandatory voting legitimate, the numbers in polls would reflect that of all
eligible voters. Having to make this participation legal would make many Americans pay
closer attention to whom they are willing and going to vote for. This could benefit
America because with more Americans being informed it will raise more interest in this
country. “Voting is a civic duty comparable to other duties citizens perform”
(Rosenberg).
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Works Cited
discoverthenetwork.org. Motor Voter Law. 2003. 13 10 2013
<http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/viewsubcategory.asp?id=808>.
Encyclopaedeia Britannica. Complusory Voting. 14 10 2013
<http://www.britanica.com/EBchecked/topic/689370/complusory-voting>.
G. Bingham Powell, Jr. American Voter Turnout In Comparative Perspective.
Rochester: American Political Science Review Vol. 80, n.d.
Harder, Joshua K. Why Do People Vote? The Case For Political Efficacy. 2008. 13 10
2013
<http://www.thepresidency.org/storage/documents/fellows2008/Harder.pdf>.
Kingkade, Tyler. Youth Vote 2012 Turnout: Exit Polls Show Greater Share Of
Electorate Than In 2008. 07 11 2012. 19 10 2013
<http://huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/youth-vote-2012-turnout-exitpolls_n_2086092.html>.
Leip, David. 2000 Presidential General Election Results. 2012. 29 10 2013
<http://uselectionsatlas.otg/RESULTS/national.php?year=2000>.
Loden, Brian. Getting Young People To Vote Not An Easy Task. 07 03 2004. 29 10
2013 <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-0307-youth-vote_x.htm>.
Morris, Errol. Wondering Why Young People Don't Vote? Better To Ask Why Any Do.
31 10 2012. 10 29 2013 <http://huffingtonpost.com/errolmorris/post_4059_b_2050735.html>.
Rosenberg, Matt. Complusory Voting. 15 10 2013
<http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/complusoryvote.htm>.
True The Vote. Does Your Vote REALLY Count? 20 10 2013
<http://www.truethevote.org/news/does-your-vote-really-count>.
wiseGEEK. wiseGEEK. 2003. 13 10 2013 <http://www.wisegeek.org/what-ispolitical-efficacy.htm>.
Young Democrats of America (YDA). YDA. 2011. 19 10 2012
<http://www.yda.org/resources/youth-vote-statistics/>.