1. …or lack thereof Voter Turnout “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition or servitude” 15 th Amendment

2. A Close Look at Nonvoting Alleged problem: low turnout of voters in the U.S. compared to Europe 1. Data are misleading: tend to compare turnout of voting-age population; turnout of registered voters reveals problem is not so severe 2. Real problem is low voter registration rates a. Proposed solution: get-out-the-voter drives b. But this will not help those who are not registered 3. Apathy is not the only cause of nonregistration a. Registration has costs in U.S.: there are no costs in European countries where registration is automatic b. Motor-voter law of 1993 took effect in 1995, lowered costs and increased registration throughout the country. However, many still did not vote! “…those who register when the process is costless are less likely to vote”

3. A Close Look at Nonvoting Continued… Voting is not the only way of participating – by other measures, Americans may participate more in politics than Europeans. Examples include: Joining Civic Associations Supporting Social Movements Writing to legislatures Fighting City Hall Important question: how do different kinds of participation affect the government?

4. The Rise of the American Electorate From State to Federal Control 1. Initially, states decided who could vote and for which offices 2. This led to wide variation in federal elections 3. Congress has since reduced state prerogatives through law and constitutional amendment 1842 law: House members elected by district 15 th Amendment (1870): seemed to give suffrage to African- Americans but really 1) Opened the door to literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses 2) Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally guaranteed right to vote to blacks –ended above controversial practices.

5. The Rise of the American Electorate Women given right to vote by 19 th Amendment (1920); participation rose immediately, but no major impact on electoral outcomes 18-year-olds given suffrage by 26 th Amendment (1971); voter turnout among the newly eligible (18 to 24 year olds) was low, and has continued to fall  BUT, this group participates more in other non-voting ways! National standards now govern most aspects of voter eligibility Twenty-third Amendment was ratified in 1961, giving District of Columbia residents the right to vote in presidential elections

6. 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 o Australian Ballot was adopted in 1910 (standard, govt printed, secret) “Vote early and often”

7. 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.