voters apathy essay

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Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! Voter Apathy in America The United States might regard itself as the symbol of democracy around the world, but its citizens are hardly model voters. America has among the lowest voter turnout of any democracy in the world based on participation in presidential and mid-term elections. Over the past few decades, the percentage of eligible Americans who vote has declined by twenty percent in both presidential and off-year elections. It is the largest and longest decline in the nation's history - today 25 million Americans who used to vote no longer do so. Feeling disillusioned with political leaders, being consumed with personal problems and believing your voice won't be heard are all factors that lead to voter apathy in America. But it's precisely that privilege - the right to vote - that is the tool Americans can use to make changes in the country and its leadership. And it's that privilege that so many Americans ignore. How will the polls go this year in the up-coming elections? Curtis Gans, head of CSAE and a leading expert on voter behavior, cautions that it is too early to talk about whether there will be a lower turnout in the 2000 polls, but he says the trend towards declining turnout continues. There are factors that would argue for a lower turnout,” he says. His organization has witnessed a steady erosion of interest by young people to participate, and their disinterest only increases as they grow older. Interest in the presidential race has been low and, despite presidential debates and a surge by challengers against the frontrunners, polls show that overall interest has not increased. A poll conducted by the Pew Center` for the People and the Press found that few Americans are paying close attention to the race. Only 16% of the public are following news about candidates very closely, while interest in the campaign has.
We received nearly 9,000 entries in our Why Don't We Vote essay contest. Many young people wrote sincerely and thoughtfully about why their generation includes so many non-voters. We thank each and every participant. As voted on by our panel of judges, the winners of course deserve special congratulations. Here are their essays, preceded by biographical information. GRAND PRIZE WINNER LEILA ROUHI LOS ANGELES, CA [HOME] SOUTH HADLEY, MA [COLLEGE] College student Born: 1979 Leila Rouhi is currently a senior at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She is majoring in Economics and Politics, and planning to attend law school following graduation. Her home is in Los Angeles, California. [Photo by Amy Hoak, Medill News Service] Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution. It will take great strides to create a system in which American citizens will be represented in the political process, and only then will young Americans be truly compelled to vote. One way to achieve this goal is through the adoption of a system of proportional representation. This paired with the implementation of Internet voting, increased voter education, and same day voting will ensure a rise in voter turnouts and youth participation in government. Regardless of the political environment, it is the responsibility of voters to take initiative in becoming politically involved. However, the current electoral.
Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! Voter Apathy Why vote? Most people know the importance of voting and that it is an American citizen’s duty to do so. But why are there so many people who choose not to vote even though they may be a registered voter? Voter apathy can be found among many age groups but the biggest drop in voter participation is mainly found in the youngest generation of voters. A main reason younger people do not vote is usually caused by this generations lack of interest in politics and the government. Many of the younger people in this country are not willing to sit in front of a television for hours upon hours to listen to a political debate. Who wants to listen to two people argue over who is right and who is wrong? Even when you do try to listen you cannot help but feel that the issues presented have nothing to do with your particular situation or have any relevance to how you live your life. For example when most young people heard about the social security issue their first reaction might have been to dismiss it because they often reference social security with older generations of people. Therefor they might ignore this important issue. Lack of interest in politics can also be connected to parents who view politics negatively. It would be hard for a young person to make political decisions after hearing someone say, “They (the politicians) never do anything they promise after they have been elected.” Although this can be true in some cases, why would you want to listen to someone who lies? For that matter, why would you want to vote for a person who lies to represent you and your country? This makes it hard to believe any politician and consequentially some people don’t vote and take the risk of choosing a bad politician. One way to gain voter participation in younger people may be to teach them how to vote. Discussion groups can be used.
I have three words to describe the primary elections held in California this week: What the what? Special thanks go to Tina Fey for coining this apt phrase. Sure, the outcome of many races was not a surprise, but election night took a few unexpected turns. First, voter turnout statewide was 18.3 percent. Read that again. Less than one of the five people who are registered to vote bothered to show up. There are about 17.7 million registered voters in California and just over 3.2 million cast a ballot in the June 3 elections. Over 38 million people live in the state, which means that each person who voted essentially weighed in on behalf of almost 12 others. Things were worse on the local level with 13.1 percent of registered voters in Los Angeles County casting a ballot in a variety of contests from County Board of Supervisors to Sheriff. More on the Sheriff's race in a moment. Over 9.9 million people live in the County, and over 4.8 million are registered to vote. This means that each of the over 636 thousand people who voted in Los Angeles County made decisions affecting 15 others. There are a number of reasons why this is the case. The biggest race on the statewide level was for Secretary of State, and that office typically does not bring people to the polls, although ironically it is that office that helps run the polls. The top three races on the statewide level are already done deals. The only question in the Governor's race was who would have the honor of losing to Jerry Brown. That distinction will go to relative moderate Neel Kashkari, of Troubled Asset Relief Program fame. Kashkari bested conservative Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, much to the relief of virtually every Republican in the party establishment. Was the turnout entirely unexpected? No. But this optimistic pessimist was still sorely disappointed. Now let's talk about what those few who did cast a.