The concept of voter turnout is simply the total number of people that voted in a given election. The number of people that show up to vote during a given election is usually compared to two metrics, VAP and VEP. Voting Age Population takes into consideration all people that are older than the voting age in a given area, which is 18 years old in the United States. Voter Eligible Population uses the VAP and subtracts those over the age of 18 that aren’t eligible to vote, which includes and noncitizens and felons. VEP also includes American citizens that are overseas at the time of the election. [6] Since 1964, the United States Census Bureau has released data on voter turnout during all presidential elections and congressional midterm elections
Cincinnati voting controversy The first and largest voting scam that baseball had every seen happened in 1957, only a decade after fan voting had been put in place. It was set to be the 24th All-Star Game that Major League Baseball between the American League and National League all stars. Fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot boxes with members of their team, to the point that seven members of the team got the most votes. It showed how weak the selection system was at that time, and would lead to changes being made that would better elect players into playing on the all star team. How it Started
1. As many of us know, union political action takes four basic forms: (1) financial support to candidates favoring union positions, (2) volunteer work by union members in campaigns, (3) endorsement of candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts, (4) and lobbying. All of the above forms are important in our cause but what I believe I should be assigned to lead the endorsement of candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts. Unions have put in a substantially increased amount of volunteer and financial resources since 1995.
In the middle of a deterioration in crop prices and a troubling political chaos the Populist Party was established. The Populists Party was correctly as it broadcasted, for the people. The Populist Party was a short term political party in the United States, recognized in 1891. The party was at its toughest in 1892 through 1896 and then quickly wore away. The Populists offered both better government regulation over the economy and to give the people more control over the government through the secret ballot, direct election of United States senators and replacement of the Electoral College with direct election by popular
271). Voter turnout at the polls has been on a steady decline for many years. Since 1960, when the voter turnout was at 60% of Americans who were qualified to vote, the percentage of voters has declined to 51% in 2000 (Luttbeg, p. 65). The numbers have been decreasing over a period where nothing has gone wrong in the Electoral College, and each President won the popular vote, as well as the majority of Electoral votes. However, it has been up until the most recent election that this issue has been challenged once more by a large margin of difference between the popular vote and the electoral
For Hispanics, participation levels also increased, with the voter turnout rate rising 2.7 percentage points, from 47.2% in 2004 to 49.9% in 2008. Among Asians, voter participation rates increased from 44.6% in 2004 to 47.0% in 2008. Meanwhile, among white eligible voters, the voter turnout rate fell slightly, from 67.2% in 2004 to 66.1% in 2008. (as shown in figure 1) Minorities voter turnout was at an all-time high because Barack Obama names was on the ballot.
There is not just one reason as to why voter turnout is so low, it is actually the collection of a few reasons. For example, some people stated that they were simply out of town, which in the U.S. you are only allowed to vote in your state of residence. Other elderly voters claimed to be sick or had a disability that prevented them from going to the polls to cast their ballot. Another reason could be that people had registration issues of some sort that didn’t allow them to vote. Then there are voters that are discourage that their vote is useless when it comes to voting on any matter.
In the United States, low voter turnout rates depend on numerous aspects, such as: the type of election, the requiring of registration, level of education that has been accomplished by the voter, and the voters’ socioeconomic status. The type of election in America is different compare to other democracies around the world. Most democracies have more than one day to vote, but in the United States is on the first Tuesday of November. During election season many citizens do not vote due to the registration process. The responsibility is on the citizens to get registered to vote.
Since then, the right to vote encompasses all citizens above the age of eighteen, regardless of race, sexuality, or gender. We do hold it in high reverence, just as we do the Bill of Rights and other amendments or clauses in the Constitution, and respect it’s power as the final say on the President-Elect, whether or not we think it is fair. In his farewell address, President Barack Obama said that “the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy… the peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected President to the next”. In order to form a democracy that is more truly democratic, votes should be cast based on majority vote of an area of three to five districts.
One must be a United States citizen; a resident of the county where one submit the application; at least 18 years old on Election Day; not a convicted felon; and not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote (Vote Texas). Even though these are very specific requirements, there have been times where people vote even if they do not meet them. In an effort to reduce voter fraud, Texas passed Senate Bill 14 that requires Texas’ voters show one of the following photo identifications on Election Day: Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS, Texas personal identification card issued by DPS, Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS, United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph, United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph, United States passport (Champagne and Harpham 98). In June 2013 the US Supreme Court ruled, in a 5-4 decision, striking down the formula for determining the states that were covered under section 5 preclearance condition contained in The Voting Rights Act.
One of the things that makes America so great is its election process. The US elections are fair and not rigged by the people in power(as far as the public knows.) Despite this, there are still some people who try and get the elections to go one way. This is called voter fraud. Voter fraud can take many different forms, switching ballots, tampering with results, pressuring voters, and voting in the place of others.
This unfamiliarity and thought of the process being confusing deters the younger people from registering to vote in the first place. By removing this process, voters can just show up to cast their votes and move on with their day without worrying about this potentially confusing process. These three methods combined could increase the voter turnout for each
“ While compulsion of any kind is a restriction, so is the compulsion to drive only on the right side of the road.” ( “Is It Time To Consider Mandatory Voting Laws? Worsening Voting Statistics Make a Strong Case.” by John W. Dean.) One way voter turnout can increase is by compulsory (required) voting.
However, one of the key characteristics of a healthy democracy is a high voter-turnout. If people do not turn up on Election Day, it is likely that they do not see the point of holding elections or the conditions are not suitable for them to vote. People vote because they believe that their vote has the power to make changes in the country. Voter apathy often develops when voters do not see voting as a way of voicing their concerns. America therefore continues to tread on risky ground, if a way of increasing voter turnout is not found.
People always want to demand their essential rights from government’s restriction by passing new laws. There was a period when people demanded their rights in the 1900s. Within the United States, most African Americans’ rights were denied by state governments. Hence, in the 1960s, they took a stand on requiring their rights through the Civil Rights movement around the country. During this movement, the Voting Rights Act was significant and for the reason is that this act gave African Americans a chance to participate in US politics by their votes.
While watching the news last weekend, I was intrigued by a newscast that was about the upcoming election. It was the first one that I was really interested in. It was not a he-said, she-said newscast. It was about voter registration.