How Does Race Affect Voter Turnout

For this research article, we will be examining the topic of race and its effect on voter turnout in the United States on the individual level. Voter turnout is defined as the number of eligible voters who participate in an election by casting a ballot for a candidate. Political scientists look at voter turnout to answer any number of questions ranging from the efficiency of democratic elections to the ever changing voter turnout numbers over the years and also as a means to measure the race, religion, political parties, education levels, etc. of the people voting to more accurately and specifically assess the characteristics and behavior of the typical voter. There are many ways to study the effects of voter turnout with this abundance of information. One could examine any number of variables that could conceivably affect, influence, deter, and also …show more content…
For trust in government, he states that “blacks who believe you can’t trust the government are more likely to turn out to vote than blacks who believe you can” (Mangum, 2003). For political engagement, he hypothesizes that “black people who follow government, take interest in political campaigns, and genuinely care who wins the election are expected to turn out to vote for more than those who do the opposite (Mangum, 2003). For political efficacy, “black people who think public officials don’t care what they think, think they have no say in government, and think government and politics are too difficult to understand are less likely to turn out to vote than blacks who believe the exact opposite” (Mangum, 2003). Finally, for group-based political efficacy, he puts forward “black people who believe they can decide who becomes president and gets elected to Congress and black people who believe all minorities, poor people, and women can decide how the country is run are more likely to vote than those that believe the opposite” (Mangum,