Voter Participation

For nearly three decades voter participation has continued to decline, this decline is most distinctive and evident among younger American citizens (Warren & Wicks, 2011). The quality of civic education affects civic life and engagement for teenagers as they transition into adulthood. The lack of quality in civic education can result in a decrease in voter turnout, and civic involvement more broadly (Smith & Graham 2014; Pratte 1988) National standards and practices need to be set and enforced, to enhance the quality in civic education. These standards and practices could lead to an increase in voter participation. Therefore, public policy should be promulgated to revitalize civic education where quality is the focus, this will contribute to …show more content…
Quality is ensuring that students exit the course with an understanding of how their government functions (state and national). Civic education must instill students with values & historical principles of the United States’ republic, current political issues, community needs, and the reasonability of voting (Warren & Wicks, 2011; Niemi & Smith, 2001). Furthermore, interactive methods and techniques should be utilized to facilitate the transmission of this information in the classroom. Below is a definition crafted by The Civic Mission of Schools, it incorporates the ideals listed above about quality in civic education. Therefore, for the purposes of setting a definition for what quality in civic education is, this research paper will adopt the following definition: Civic education should help young people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives. Competent and responsible …show more content…
The United States is a representative democracy; therefore, it requires participation and engagement from its citizens. An educated and informed citizenry is vital to the survival of any representative government. An uninformed and uneducated electorate can result in citizens not voting or casting a ballot that is misguided, which could produce inadequate representation. Civic education is where those gaps can be filled. Researcher Richard Pratte stated it perfectly that; “We do not merely want to say that this citizen or that citizen is not virtuous; we want to say that education has not produced virtuous citizens on the whole” (1988). Quality in civic education is the way to produce “virtuous citizens” necessary for the continuation and preservation of any representative