Election Participation

How to Improve

1. Automatically registering everyone to vote. Some countries like France (71.2 percent turnout) and Sweden (82.6 percent turnout) automatically register their citizens to vote, removing a major hurdle in the electoral process. France automatically registers citizens when they turn 18, while Sweden and other Scandinavian countries use tax registration rolls to produce voter lists. 2. Weekend voting. Many countries including Australia (81.0 percent turnout), Greece (69.4 percent turnout), and Brazil (80.6 percent turnout) put Election Day on the weekend. This helps ensure that as many people as possible can participate and won't be prevented by work requirements. 3. Nationwide Election Day registration. Canada (53.8 percent turnout), for example, allows citizens who haven't registered to do so when they get to the polls on Election Day, rather than barring them from participating. 5. Compulsory voting. Dozens of countries, ranging from Uruguay (96.1 percent turnout) to the Dominican Republic (70.2 percent turnout) to Singapore (55.3 percent turnout), require citizens to vote. Some of the countries actually enforce the requirement, usually with a small fine for people who don't cast a ballot; $20 in Australia for those without a good excuse, for instance. Other countries either don't have penalties for non-voters or don't enforce penalties on the books. But then you have people that show up and just vote for someone they don't care and mkae ill adviced decisions. 6. Online voting. A few countries have started to dip their toes into the online voting water. Most notably, Estonia (55.5 percent turnout) has been allowing its citizens to cast a ballot online since 2005. In 2011, a quarter of all Estonians utilized the option. They have yet to face major security breaches in the system. Sweden, Latvia and Switzerland allow it. Canada used it for municipal elections and it icreased voting the first overall by 10% from 2006 to 2010. It has problems. computers not that secure, hackers could tinker with the elections. usa has too many citizens. so it dpened on if youre willing to risk it for the rewards. Electronic voting is also likely to increase participation by younger voters. Across most nations, younger citizens are less likely to vote than older voters. With the United States being one of the youngest countries among its competitors, it seems reasonable that electronic voting could have a significant impact on the younger, more tech-savvy American voters. 7. Fewer elections. Elections are often unsynchronized in the United States, with local elections taking place on different dates than federal elections, to say nothing of primaries, recalls, and the like. Many other countries hold all their elections on a single day, in part to avoid voter fatigue. Rock the Vote is the largest non-profit and non-partisan organization in the United States driving the youth vote to the polls. Combines pop culture, politics, and technology. As you can see they use celebrities to draw the attention of younger adults and also of more http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/15/2000621/international-voting-reforms/

Hispanics and Native Americans

1848: Guadalupe Hidalgo granted citizenship and voting rights to Mexicans living in conquered territories. 1924: Native Americans got citizenship and right to vote.

Women

1848: Seneca Fall Convention started the Women's Suffrage Movement. -70 Year battle 1920: 19th amendment was passed granting suffrage to women

African American

1869: 15th Amendment gave African American Men the right to vote. -This was when you saw resistance like Grandfather Clauses, Literacy Test, Poll Taxes, and intimidation from groups like the KKK. 1964: 24th Amendment was passed, and it outlawed Poll Tax. 1965: Voting Rights Act was signed into law by LBJ. Voting Rights Groups: SNCC, NAACP, SCLC, CORE. Voting right groups in the 1960's were essential in increasing voter participation for African Americans. 1965 Voting Rights Act: prohibited any election practices that denied the right to vote on account of race, and required jurisdictions with histories of discrimination in voting to get federal approval for changes in their election laws before they can take effect -SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Naacp (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) ,SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) , CORE (Congress on Racial Equality).

Voting Age Lowered

1971: Voting age was lowered to 18 by the 26th Amendment. -Why?... Vietnam War

They don't want you to vote

19th century ensure non-citizens wouldn't vote suppress the participation of those who were entitled poor people weren't home when assessors came by after civil rights laws, southern states used registration to intimidate or discriminate

Registration

35% of Americans are not registered they have to re-register 30 days in advance

felony disenfranchisement

4 states permanently ban ex-felons rest of the states ban them for some time about 2.5 % of total voting population was disfranchised 2.6 million no longer in prison

Voter Breakdown 2012

Non-Hispanic Whites: 64% Black: 66% Hispanic: 48% Asian: 47% 18-29: 45% Over 30: 66% Low turn out overall

Registration Mistakes

Paperwork and Parties 08-09 over 60 million registration applications 24 million are invalid or inaccurate 1.8 million deceased Political parties want to register their people not everyone

Why So Low

The participatory rate of voters in the United States is substantially lower today than it was in the 19th century. Over the course of the 19th century, over 80% of eligible voters participated in each US election. Of course, in the 19th century, the number of eligible US voters was much lower, since woman and other minorities were effectively unable to vote. http://www.historycentral.com/elections/Voterturnout.html There are countless explanations: absence of trust in government, the degree of partisanship among the population, lack of general interest in politics, institutional barriers to voting, convenience, and a failure of faith in the true effect of voting. According to this view, voting is not worth the bother. There is probably some truth to this explanation. However, with the exception of the 2000 election, which was decided by a mere 320 votes, most American elections are decided by large margins. Moreover, the American Electoral College system, where each state, (with two exceptions) gives all of its electoral votes to one candidate, further distances a voter from the election results. In fact, there are so many states that are not considered competitive; as there is a foregone conclusion that one candidate or another will win. In these cases, voting can seem almost like an irrational waste of time. the fact that more than 35 percent of all eligible Americans -- over 73 million of us -- are not registered to vote, and that our voter registration system is in shambles and badly in need of an overAmericans are required to re-register to vote any time they move residences. Statistics show that Americans move more often than citizens of most other countries. In addition, the US voting process is a two step process. Registration which has to take place at least 30 days before an election in most states, has to occur before most people have begun to concentrate on the elections. It is interesting to note that the requirement for voter pre-registration was only mandated in the 20th century. The introduction of required voter pre-registration corresponds with the decrease in voter participation in US elections. Another fact supporting the view that pre-registration hinders US voter turnout is that the few states that allow same-day voter registration have a higher than average turnout: From Minnesota with 77.7% to a low rate of 63.7 for Idaho in the 2008 elections. These rates must be compared to the overall US voter turn-out average of 61.6%. For example, Germans who are eighteen or older on voting day automatically receive a notification card before any election in which they are eligible to vote. In Canada, the income tax returns are used for voter registration. In the United Kingdom, every residence receives a notice of those registered within the household, and additional voters can be registered by mail. There are other measures that can also be taken to increase voter turnout. With "inconvenience" often cited as a reason for not voting, it's time to move to electronic voting and enhanced absentee voting including voting by mail to enhance the convenience factor. Oregon has embraced convenience in two major ways: first, by offering many ways for voters to register, including online, and second, by passing a 1998 ballot initiative requiring that all elections be conducted by mail.The registration process is plagued by two problems: paperwork and parties. In most states, citizens who wish to vote must obtain and fill out a paper application. Between the 2006 and 2008 elections, for instance, states had to process 60 million registration applications, most of them on paper. The voter's information is then entered manually into a statewide database. Errors inevitably occur along the way. Moreover, most states demand that voters notify their election office of a change of address, and few jurisdictions have an adequate system for taking dead people off the rolls. The result is that many statewide lists are filled not just with errors but with "deadwood" (registrations that are no longer valid). Third-party groups compound the heavy costs associated with this paper-driven process. Because we place the burden on individuals to register themselves, third parties inevitably step in to help. The trouble is that not all of them are helpful. These groups can make mistakes; some have even committed registration fraud. One study, for instance, found that one-third of the registration applications submitted in 2008 didn't result in a valid registration or address change. The problem of third-party involvement goes deeper, however. Political parties take on much of the registration work. Their incentives are skewed, and as a result the electorate can become skewed. That's because the political parties' goal isn't to register people. Their goal is to register their people. And even when third parties are on their best behavior, they do most of their work immediately before the election, which means that under-resourced and understaffed election administrators struggle to deal with the onslaught of paper applications filed during the weeks leading up to the election. they dont want you to vote Approximately 24 million -- one of every eight -- voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters. Approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state. If requiring voters to register is so unusual, why do we do it? According to this article, it started in the early 19th century — when immigrants were flooding into U.S. cities — in part to ensure that non-citizens wouldn't vote, but also to suppress the participation of those who were entitled to vote. Alexander Keyssar, author of a book on the right to vote, said that "many poor citizens were also not included on the voter rolls; they were often not home when the assessors came by, which was typically during the work-day." In the mid-20th century, after civil rights laws sought to assure the right of African-Americans to vote, southern states used the registration process as an opportunity to intimidate or discriminate against blacks seeking to register. have more negative thought on the government http://www.minnpost.com/eric-black-ink/2014/09/why-do-so-few-citizens-participate-our-democracy blue laws that made businesses shut down A lot of countries, and a lot of the states of the United States, do not let felons vote from prison but eventually restore the right to vote after the felons have been released. This is often on a sliding scale that depends, for example, on the felony of which they were convicted. But four U.S. states permanently bar ex-felons from voting, no matter how long they have been out of prison. That doesn't happen anywhere else in the democratic world. The Uggen study found that heading into 2012, 2.5 percent of the total U.S. voting population was disfranchised due to a felony conviction. Almost half of them — about 2.6 million Americans — were no longer in prison, but lived in states that disfranchised people after they have completed their sentences.

Demographics (Other)

Unmarried Women: 61% voted for Democrats; 37% for Republicans The 24-point margin is the slimmest for the Democrats since 1992 White Men: Republicans garnered 63% of the vote, while the Democrats only had 35% The biggest margin of white male voters voting for Republicans since 1984 Voters under age 30: 55% voted for Democrats; 42% voted for Republicans In 2012, 60% voted for Democrats and the overall share of "Young Voters" electorate dropped from 19% to 13%

The Beginning

Declaration of Independence signed. Right to vote during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods is restricted to property owners—most of whom are white male Protestants over the age of 21. -1790 Naturalization Law passed. States that only "free white" immigrants can become naturalized citizens, and were the only people eligible to vote.

Democratic Mobilization

Democrats failed to mobilize voters like they have in the past... in particular the younger voters or "millennials." Whereas, the Republicans successfully mobilized their base of older voters (45 years and up).

Michigan's Midterm

Gary Peters (D) defeated Terri Lynn-Land (R) Not a close race... Peters had 55% of the vote, compared to Land's 41% Getting the Woman's vote Land wanted to focus on the women's vote, yet Peters had a 20% lead in that category over Land Gov. Rick Snyder (R) fended off challenger Mark Schauer (D) by a margin of 51-47 percent Overall, voter turnout was at 41.6%, down from 42.9% from the last midterm in 2010; lowest since 1990

Voting in Midterms

Historically, statistics have shown that voter turnout in midterm elections is significantly less than that of Presidential elections. "...the problem in this country is a voter participation problem." - Jon Euchner, political scientist from Missouri Western State University

NC Midterms

Incumbent Kay Hagan (D) lost to Thom Tillis (R) NC considered a key state for Democrats; devastating loss Overall, the voter turnout was decent at 40% NC was one of twelve states with an increased voter turnout from the 2012 elections However, Hagan's 17% advantage with female voters was not enough to tip the balance and overturn Tillis' 12% lead with men Ultimately, exit polls showed that 51% of voters believed "Hagan was too close in her politics to President Obama"

Rock the Vote

Rock the Vote is the largest non-profit and non-partisan organization in the United States driving the youth vote to the polls. Combines pop culture, politics, and technology. As you can see they use celebrities to draw the attention of younger adults and also of more

How Republicans Took Control

The "wave" election "This was not a turnout election in the sense that another door knock would have mattered or another half-million would have mattered. It was a wave election." - Guy Cecil, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee "Is it a wave? Yes, probably, historically speaking it will be argued this was a wave election." - Rob Collins, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee

Midterms 2014

Well, nobody voted... again "Just 36.4 percent of the voting-eligible population cast ballots as of last Tuesday, continuing a steady decline in midterm voter participation that has spanned several decades. The results are dismal, but not surprising -- participation has been dropping since the 1964 election, when voter turnout was at nearly 49 percent."