Voter Apathy: Plummeting Participation One consistent theme that underlies United States politics is voter apathy. Voter apathy is when large numbers of eligible Americans boycott their participation in public elections. According to official government data, from the years 1960 to 2008 the percent of eligible voters who casted their ballots ranged from 49% to 63%. This means as much as half of the American voters in the country do not care enough to decide which candidate should be the Chief Executive, the president, of the United States (Ghosh, “Why is there so much voter apathy in U.S. elections,” 2012). Voting is crucial to representative democracies, and it is imperative that citizens participate in politics (By Sycorax Tiyesa Ndhlovu-
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Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Sixty-three percent of Americans participated in the election. The lowest turnout was recorded in the 1996 election with Bill Clinton and Bob Doles, only 49% of Americans voted. Voter participation remains consistently below corresponding levels in most other western democracies. In countries like Italy, Belgium, and Austria, more than 90% of eligible citizens cast ballots in every election (Ghosh, “Why is there so much voter apathy in U.S. elections,” 2012). In societies, like the countries in Europe, the average age of people is higher. This causes higher voting turnouts to occur. People with more experience have a sense of ease when voting. It becomes easier to register, and more people participate (“Factors affecting voter turnout- boundless open …show more content…
This tiredness shows something is causing voters to not take part in elections. It is vital that the government should find an everlasting solution, or solutions, to rejuvenate citizens’ direct participation in United States politics. Democracy by its very nature is a system of government by the whole population, or all the eligible members of a state through elected representatives, not just some or a few people, but people as a whole (By Sycorax Tiyesa Ndhlovu- Daily Nation, 2015). Democracy requires a considerable amount of involvement by the population. If there is a large amount, it shows that there is confidence in the electoral process. If there is a small amount, it concludes that people are either uninterested, or the government is not doing its job to get citizens more involved (“Factors affecting voter turnout- boundless open textbook). Voter turnouts are fundamental to a healthy democracy. Low turnout is also caused by disengagement and the belief that voting for one candidate or another will do little or nothing to alter public policy. Voter turnout varies from state to state (Voter turnout- fair
Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Sixty-three percent of Americans participated in the election. The lowest turnout was recorded in the 1996 election with Bill Clinton and Bob Doles, only 49% of Americans voted. Voter participation remains consistently below corresponding levels in most other western democracies. In countries like Italy, Belgium, and Austria, more than 90% of eligible citizens cast ballots in every election (Ghosh, “Why is there so much voter apathy in U.S. elections,” 2012). In societies, like the countries in Europe, the average age of people is higher. This causes higher voting turnouts to occur. People with more experience have a sense of ease when voting. It becomes easier to register, and more people participate (“Factors affecting voter turnout- boundless open …show more content…
This tiredness shows something is causing voters to not take part in elections. It is vital that the government should find an everlasting solution, or solutions, to rejuvenate citizens’ direct participation in United States politics. Democracy by its very nature is a system of government by the whole population, or all the eligible members of a state through elected representatives, not just some or a few people, but people as a whole (By Sycorax Tiyesa Ndhlovu- Daily Nation, 2015). Democracy requires a considerable amount of involvement by the population. If there is a large amount, it shows that there is confidence in the electoral process. If there is a small amount, it concludes that people are either uninterested, or the government is not doing its job to get citizens more involved (“Factors affecting voter turnout- boundless open textbook). Voter turnouts are fundamental to a healthy democracy. Low turnout is also caused by disengagement and the belief that voting for one candidate or another will do little or nothing to alter public policy. Voter turnout varies from state to state (Voter turnout- fair