The Good, the Bad, and the Apathetic

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The Good, the Bad, and the Apathetic

Another presidential election year rolls around for America and what will the vote decide? Sometimes equally debated and foretold, another issue exists that does not appear on the ballot. How many people will turnout at the polls to cast their vote for their governmental representatives? The patterns of American history would say that not very many will show up. “Indeed, voter turnout has fallen from its peak of 63 percent in 1960 to just below half during the last presidential election, in 1996. As a result, the world's leading democracy ranks 140th in voter turnout among democratically elected governments (Cooper).” They make this point at what seems like every election in recent years and the problem has existed off and on for the entire history of the United States. No easy solution exists to lead more people to the polls without enacting a law requiring the vote, but a few things could help in a small way.

Some of the influence for addressing this problem stems from my own personal experience with trying to register for voting in my first presidential election. Complicating my situation is the fact that I go to school in Pennsylvania, but am an Ohio resident. I found it very difficult to complete my registration forms. My first trouble encountered appeared when I found out that no matter what I looked up on the internet, I still had to send away for a registration form and then send it back in. It said that I could print out a form, but that it required me to print the form on number 40 cardstock. What a hassle? This seemed like a lot of effort for such a simple form. Secondly, I have to vote by absentee ballot and thus am required to let the el...

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...ection." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

22 Mar. 2004 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=115182>.

Hobby, Bill. “So maybe low voter turnout isn't always a bad thing?” The Houston Chronicle. (7 Dec. 1997). 22 March 2004 < http://www.swt.edu/cpm/hobbyscorner/voter.html>.

Removing obstacles to voting. (2001). In Moore J. L., Preimesberger J. P., & Tarr D. R. (Eds.), Guide to U.S. elections (Vol. 1). Washington: CQ Press. Retrieved March 31, 2004, from CQ Electronic Library, CQ Voting and Elections Collection: gusel1-152-7218-392799.

Shesgreen, Deirdre. “Internet Could Upend Michigan Race.” St. Louis Post – Dispatch. 9 Nov. 2003, pg. A.7.

Utley, Garrick. “Low voter turnout expected on Election Day.” CNN.com. (3 Nov. 2000). 22 March 2004 < http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/02/voter.turnout/>.

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