…or lack thereof Voter Turnout

The Nonvoting Problem? Alleged problem: low voter turnout in U.S. compared to Europe But perhaps not as much of a problem as we think Real problem is low voter registration rates Data tends to compare turnout of voting age population rather than voting eligible population Remember, voting is not the only method of participation

Change in Control States initially decided who could vote and for which offices Through various laws and constitutional amendments, Congress has reduced state prerogatives 15 th Amendment (1870) “Grandfather Clause” declared unconstitutional th Amendment (1920) 23 rd Amendment (1961) Voting Rights Act of th Amendment (1971) National standards now govern most aspects of voter eligibility

Voter Turnout Two theories regarding declining percentages of eligible adults who vote 1. Real decline caused by lessening popular interest and decreasing party mobilization 2. Apparent decline caused by more honest ballot counts o Parties once printed ballots and controlled counting o Ballots were cast in public o Voter eligibility rules were easily circumvented “Vote early and often”

Voter Turnout Several causes probably contribute to a real decline More difficult registration No uniform national voting system (yeah, we’re looking at you, Florida) Calculation of turnout- is there really a drop?  Some scholars believe that non-voters mirror voters so their absence has little effect on election outcomes.