The last few decades have seen global increases in voting. Many nations have become democratic, allowing their citizens the rights to vote and select their governments. The fall of the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union's dominance over Eastern Europe, ushered in a new era of democracy in the world. Meanwhile in the U.S., voter returns have been steadily shrinking since the 1960s. Fewer and fewer Americans have exercised their right to vote. In the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections, only half of all eligible voters turned out at the polls. Turnout in congressional, state and local elections fair little better and typically attract fewer than 40 percent of eligible voters. There have been many efforts to encourage voting in the U.S. States. The federal government has funded media campaigns including pamphlets and television commercials but still, voter apathy has grown.

CS Question #1: What percentage of eligible voters participated in the 1996 and 2000 election for president?

Many believe voter apathy was created by the often-difficult task of registering to vote. Each county in each state ran its own registration process. In many places it was difficult to register or even find the registration offices at all. In 1993 the U.S. Congress enacted the Motor Voter Bill, creating a federally standardized voter registration. When a citizen receives or renews their driver's license, they are automatically registered to vote. While the program successfully registered 11 million new voters in time for the 1996 election, only a fraction of them actually voted. The term voter apathy is used to describe the situation. Voters don't care and so they don't vote. Anthony Downs of the Brookings Institution wrote a book called "An Economic Theory of Democracy". In his book, Downs described his theories surrounding voter apathy.

CS Question #2: What was the Motor Voter Bill?

Downs' writing in "An Economic Theory of Democracy" made some important points about the causes and effects of voter apathy. The book was published in 1957 during a time of relatively high citizen participation. Still, Downs saw the possibilities of voter apathy taking over the body politic. He felt a voter would react certain ways in a certain voting environments. If a voter believes a certain party or candidate is different from the competing candidate, that their candidate will benefit them and that their candidate has a realistic chance of winning the election, they will vote for their chosen candidate. If a voter feels the parties are the fundamentally the same, and neither will give benefit, then a voter will determine their vote doesn't matter and they will abstain from voting. Downs sites two reasons from voter apathy. The first reason is the cost of voting, or how much time, money or effort is required. The second reason is a lack of information available to the voting public. In the U.S. the costs of voting are low, and the level of education is high. Yet few voters participate in elections. Downs also felt disenfranchisement and hostility to any of the available choices could create voter apathy.

CS Question #3: What did Anthony Downs feel about voter apathy?

Many U.S. citizens are disengaging from not only voting, but also all sorts of civic duties. Yet this apathy may not be caused by politics alone. Americans today have less leisure time then ever before in U.S. history. Americans also have an unlimited capacity to access goods and services from their own homes. Increasingly, Americans receive most of their information from television. Since politics have become more and more disconnected from the common voting public, less and less voters feel there is any benefit to be received from voting. Often even when Americans do vote, they vote not for their favorite candidate, but the candidate they perceive as having a chance to win. Sometimes this is referred to as "voting for the lesser of two evils". These perceptions have led to broad voter apathy that will continue until voters become more motivated and informed. By voting, Americans affect the balances of power within the government between conservatives and liberals. The balance of power in the government eventually can affect the nation from the top to the bottom.

CS Question #4: What are some non-political reasons for voter apathy?

Further thought:

1. Voters in lower income brackets are much more likely to not vote than voters in higher income brackets. Why do you think that is?
2. What is the cost of voting in America?
3. Do you think the two-party system of American politics may have benefited from increased voter apathy? Why or why not?