In The Working Poor, David Shipler reports that in the 2000 presidential election only 38 percent of
Americans with incomes less than $10,000 voted compared to 75 percent of those with incomes over
$75,000. (278) These sorts of statistics are not limited to 2000. In the six elections from 1980 to 2000,
the average voter turnout of people in the bottom fifth of the income quintiles was 53 percent, while
the top fifth averaged over 80 percent (“Election Results”). For the bottom fifth, the average household
income was under $11,500 during each election year. The top fifth averaged an income close to
$118,000 (DeNavas-Walt, et al.). The 2004 election was no different with 55 percent of the votes cast
by people with incomes of $50,000 and up. That means over half of the votes cast were by a group that
controls 70 percent of the nation’s wealth. In every election since 1964, when these statistics were first
recorded, the South has had a lower voter turnout than the other three major regions. The South has
also consistently had the highest poverty rate of the four regions. On average, there is a twenty-five to
thirty percentage-point gap between the turnouts of the lowest and highest income quintiles in the
United States (Cevrantes and Gluckman).
Though it is clear the poor generally don’t vote, the reasons for this are not so clear. Education
seems to be biggest factor. Less than 40 percent of citizens without a high school degree voted in the
2000 election, compared with an 80 percent turnout for those with an advanced degree. The
percentages rise with more education. A connection to poverty can be drawn when considering that
over 13 percent of workers without a high school degree are in poverty, compared with only about 1
percent of workers with a college degree. It should be noted these statistics concern only workers, and
not the unemployed. As a United States census report noted, “Those with a high school education or
less were more likely than those with more education to respond that they were not interested in the
election or felt their vote would not make a difference.”
Even more significant among the poor than the feeling that their vote will not make a difference is
the feeling their vote may not be counted. Claims of voting irregularities, true or not, often keep the
poor away from the polls. A large bloc of poor Americans disenfranchise themselves out of the fear of
being disenfranchised. With a mindset that their vote will just be erased after leaving, the poor avoid
It is the fact that so many of those who do vote don't have their votes counted.
Voting is one of the citizens’ rights living in a country. In the past, not everyone can vote. Voting used to be for only white American men. However, our ancestors fought for that rights. Eventually, any American who are older than eighteen can vote, despite their race or gender. In addition, voter turnout is used to keep track of the voting. It is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Unfortunately, the voter turnout has been decreasing over time, and it means that there are less and fewer people who actually show up and vote. This essay will discuss the voter turnout in Harris County, Texas.
Research has brought about an abundance of reasons why youth are becoming less engaged in the political process. Education, absence of political knowledge, the media and family influence, indifference to election campaigns, inadequate amount of change, and lack of motivation are all possible factors in influencing the youth voter turnout.
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 our democratic system because the people/voters can only truly be represented by our government if all eligible voters go out and vote. For this paper I will examine four theories that attempt to explain the decline. The four theories that I will discuss are voting barriers, campaign contributions, negative campaign advertising, and finally the cultural explanation. However, through thorough exploration and critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of these four theories, we will find that the cultural explanation theory is currently the most persuasive theory in the group. Finally, I will also explore some reasons as to why citizens do vote as well.
It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
In the 2012 United States Presidential election 58.2 percent of the registered voters turnout out to vote (IDEA). This figure is in stark contrast to many other wealthy democracies in the western world for the same election cycle (IDEA). This begs the question, why is voter turnout significantly lower in the US compared to the rest of the first world and other OECD countries? There are countless factors that could affect voter turnout, the most standard of which are based on socioeconomic status. But when considering only developed nations, more is at play in predicting turnout. Focus is turned to institutional factors and the effect election mechanisms, such as registration laws and party systems, have on political participation.
Since nearly the beginning of our nation, the idea of higher voter turnout to elections has been a pet cause of one politician or another; each assuming such an increase would be to their benefit. This idea cannot be claimed by any one party either, as it shifts with the very political tides that guide much of politics. Usually it is the party out of power that perceives the greatest potential benefit in increasing turnout, and thus, changing the structure of the electorate. This pattern, however, has seemed to break apart in the latest elections.
Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.
Many reforms in the UnitedStates have been passed to help fight against the “War on Poverty”; but it has not been effective in eradicating poverty in the U.S. There are about 46 million people who are living in impoverished conditions and poverty continues to be a social issue in this country (Heritage Foundation, 2011) In the beginning, our country was formed under the belief that “this land is the land of opportunity and if we worked hard enough the American Dream can be gained” (Schwarz, 1997). People immigrate to this country today in hopes of becoming rich so they could gain a better life. In spite of coming to this country for a better life, many are faced with the lack of skills and money to succeed. In the end, most will end up in unskilled labor jobs that can barely support their families. Poverty continues to be a growing social issue because people have the “ inability to provide necessities like clothes, healthcare, and shelter” (Heritage Foundation, 2011) to help themselves and their family; therefore, many sacrifices have to be made to insure their survival. Yet many reforms made to help people living in poverty are based “off of outdated statistics” (Henslin, 2014, p.276) and are not enough to help the lower class maintain a sufficient standard of living. Poverty relates to conflict theory since the poor are struggling just to get by. Government programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, and food stamps provided by the government are not enough to help the poor gain social mobility.
Most immigrants are not admitted to high paying jobs because they do not possess the education or skill level that are in demand in the labor force. Nearly 31 percent of foreign-born residents over the age of 25 are without a high school diploma, compared to just 10 percent of native-born citizens (Report by Greenhaven Press). This is considered an understatement because with the struggling economy in the United States and unemployment rates at a high, a bachelors or masters degree is a
Poverty levels in Texas have had an everlasting influence on voter turnout. As mentioned in our textbook, in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Texas with the sixth-highest poverty rate amongst all 50 states. Living in a state of poverty, entails a lower educated society. “The low overall state turnout rate is at least partly caused by the tendency of Black and Latino citizens to stay home on election day” (Newell 143). This low turnout has a rippling effect on politics because “when minorities do not vote, it hurts the Democrats” (Newell 144) and thus the state becomes controlled by one party. Yet, there are minor adjustments that can increase voter turnout in
voters who tend to be poorer and less educated are less likely to have driver's licenses or
Voter turnout has been declining in the United States throughout history through the potential voters’ personal choice not to vote and ineligibility. According to research a large percentage of individuals are not voting because political parties fail to appeal to the voters and this leads to the voting population losing interest in the campaign, while others postpone registering and by the time they realize their delay the election is upon them.
According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) there are five main reasons why young people don’t vote. The graph they presented uses census survey data from 2010 for citizens 18-24. The graph was broken down into two groups, those who are and are not in college. The first reason cited was being away from home or out of town, 23% of college students stated this and only 5% of people not in college stated this. 8% of college students said they forgot to vote, and over 12% of those not in college said they forgot to vote or send in a ballot. For students in college, 12% versus 19% of those not in college said that the reason they did not vote is because they were not interested or felt their vote did not count. Another reason for not voting was being too busy or stating that voting conflicted with work for 35% of college students and 30% of those not in colleges. Lastly “other reasons” to not vote was listed as the number one category in those not in college at 33% and 21% for those in college.