Question

Government class: How does voter turnout in the United States compare to that of other Western Republics? Who votes, and who doesn’t vote? What factors lead to this turnout result and what are some ideas American political scientists have proposed to change it?

Answer 1

Lately, America's voter turnout was low. So bad that in the 2014 general election, only 36.3 percent of registered voters turned out to cast ballots. This was a low point for the U.S. because there hasn't been this low turnout since 1942, a total of 72 years. The United States ranked 31st in voter turnout. The turnout was calculated from information regarding the 2012 general election.

In 2012, U.S. turnout was 53.6 percent, based on 129.1 million presidential votes cast and an estimated population of just under 241 million voters. The highest turnout rates for OECD countries were for Belgium (87.2%), Turkey (86.4%) and Sweden (82.6%). Switzerland has historically the lowest turnout, with the most recent being just 40 percent of the voting age population casting ballots at the 2011 federal parliamentary elections.

America should create an democratic system focused on pro-voter policies and practices that encourage more eligible voters to take part. To do that, first, obstacles to registering to vote and voting need to be abolished, and changes need to be introduced to encourage all eligible Americans to cast a ballot that will be counted securely. Implementing automatic voter registration (AVR) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in only the first year of implementation could result in more than 22 million newly registered voters

In several countries it is compulsory to be eligible to vote. When you're a voter, you're registered for voting. Not so for the U.S. It's up to any person to sign up there. Easier registration might mean more voting. On average, college graduates earn more money. They're more likely to try out policy information. And those who vote are more likely to have mates. People with no college degree are less likely to look for political knowledge, he says. You also have less chances of finding mates who think about politics or talk about elections.