Voting and Elections
28 October, 2010
Voter Turnout
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Voter turnout is highest for presidential elections; in
“midterm elections” only a third of the electorate vote
U.S. turnout in comparative perspective
How (and why) does voter turnout change over time?
The role of age and education
Does low voter turnout matter?
Turnout in Comparative Perspective
Trends in Voter Turnout
Source: Michael McDonald (2010)
VAP=Voting age population (includes everyone over 18, non citizens, felons, etc; VEP=Voting eligible population
Trends in Voter Turnout
VAP=Voting age population (includes everyone over 18, non citizens, felons, etc; VEP=Voting eligible population
Voting is the most common form of political
participation
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Many people also talk about politics and try to persuade others to
vote
Very few participate in any other specific way.
Political Participation in Comparative Perspective
Source: Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES), Module 2, 2004
Why is voter turnout so low?
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Voter attitudes
Lack of convenience
Difficulty of registration
Electoral system
Options for Electing the President
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Congress chooses the president
State legislatures choose the president
President elected by popular vote
Electoral College
How it works
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Each state was allocated a number of Electors equal to the
number of U.S. Senators (always 2) plus the number of
U.S. Representatives (which changes)
The manner of choosing the electors was left to the
individual state legislators. By 1836 all states (except for
South Carolina) choose electors by popular vote (plurality
rules).
The candidate with a majority of electoral votes is elected
president
In the event that no candidate wins a majority, the U.S.
House of Representatives would choose from the top five
contenders. Each state could cast only one vote. An
absolute majority is required
Unequal Representation
Source: Robert A. Dahl, How Democratic is the American Constitution?
The 2008 Presidential Election
(270 needed to win)
The 2000 Presidential Election
Bush 271; Gore 266
(270 needed to win)
The Florida Disaster
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The “problem” with competitive elections
The Florida recount (link to Univ. of Chicago study)
The punch card voting system
Design of the palm beach ballot
The Butterfly Ballot
Evidence of problems in Palm Beach
The 2008 Congressional Elections
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The vast majority of congressional elections are not very
competitive (most incumbents are re-elected; 94% in
2008)
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Results for House of Representatives
Senate elections are more competitive but reelection rates
are still very high (ie. in 2008, 83% reelection rate)
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Results for Senate