Low Voting Registration and Participation amongst Americans: Annotated Graphs

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Voter Participation 1

Running Head: Voter Registration and Participation

Exercise #3

Low Voting Registration and Participation amongst Americans: Annotated Graphs

Samuel R. Morris

SOWK 300

Tuskegee University

Friday, September 24, 2010




Abstract

“We hold these truths to be self -evident. That all men are created with natural,

unalienable rights.” These famous words are found at the beginning of the Declaration of

Independence – our founding document. Since the beginning of our country, we have always

been a nation who has been involved in the political system; however, that has not been the case

in recent years. In recent years, less people have been participating in both the Presidential and

Congressional elections, and this a major issue at hand. This paper will examine how many

people have been participating in the nationwide elections and look at the magnitude, scope,

changes and disparities of this problem.




Magnitude of the Problem – Figure 1

Descriptive Discussion of Figure 1

Figure 1 compares the percentages of registered voters and actual participating voters

from the Presidential Elections from 1996 to 2008. We are seeing that over 60% of Americans

registered to vote for the Presidential elections. The chart also shows that although we are seeing

that we have over 60% of Americans registered to vote, the actual people that do vote is smaller

than the registered number. In the 1998 Presidential election, 65.9% of Americans registered to

vote, but only 54.2% voted. Again in the 2004 Presidential election, 65.9% of Americans

registered, but 58.3% voted.




Interpretive Discussion of Figure 1

After looking at the statistics in Figure 1, I am seeing that the main problem lies within

the actual voting participation. Over 60% of Americans register to vote in the elections, and this

is an excellent thing; however, we are not seeing the same numbers in voter participation. I

strongly believe that the reason why we are seeing these numbers is lack of information. Voters

are not informed enough about each candidate‟s position. Also, they could not be aware of the

voting polls that are located within their area or may not have enough time to go out and cast

their vote. These factors can play a pivotal role in why we are seeing lower numbers of voter

participation.

Scope of the Problem – Figure 2





Figure 2 examines voter participation by region across the United States for the 1996

Presidential elections. The Midwest had the largest participation with 59.3%. The second

largest part of the country that had the biggest voter participation was the Northeast with 54.5%.

The South ranked third with 52% and the West with 51.8% of voter participation. This data is

very important because we are seeing that there is large number of voter participation in certain

parts of the country compared to others.


The data provided is very important in understanding why we are seeing a low voter

participation in the nation. Because the Midwest is showing the largest percentage of voter

participation, I can conclude that people living within this area are more active within the

political process. In addition, every time there is a Presidential election, usually the Midwest

decides who will win the election and it reflects in the data. Nevertheless, why are we seeing

large participation in one area of the country compared to others? I believe that we are seeing

this because people are more active and passion about the elections in certain areas than in

others. The Midwest is a huge portion of this country that contains some major industries of the

America. Because of this, people are more aware of how politics can influence the productivity

of the industry.




Changes in the Problem – Figure 3


Figure 3 shows the changes for voter participation. One must keep in mind that with

each election, voter participation will change. Figure three looks at the how voter participation

changes for Congressional elections. In 1994, there was a reported 44.6% of voter participation.

In 1998, there was a reported 41.9% and in 2002, 42.3% of Americans came out and voted.

Lastly, in 43.6% of Americans came out and voted in the 2006 Congressional elections. The

statistics is showing a major change with each election. From 1994 to 2002, there was a

decrease in voter participation, but it started to rise again in 2006.





Looking at the data above, one can see that it is very important to understand what is

happening. Over the years from 1994 to 2002, there is a decrease in voter participation in the

Congressional Elections. This also stands true for Presidential Elections. Why is this? I believe

that it is for two various reasons. As stated before in another graph, I believe that people are not

away of the available polling places in their respective surroundings. I also believe that people

are not informed enough about the different candidates, therefore, making them loose their

interest in casting a vote. The graph shows that there are shifts in voter participation and it is a

problem that needs to be addressed. By figuring out why people are not participating in voting,

will help raise the percentages across the nation – and that is very important.




Disparities in the Problem – Figure

4


Figure 4 examines the different ethnicities that participate in the election process –

especially in the 2006 elections. The first and largest ethnicity is White with 71.6% of

participants. Blacks, also referred to as African-Americans, reported 67.3% of voter

participation in the election. Asians reported 66.1% of voter participation. Lastly, Hispanics

reported 60.1% of voter participation. These numbers show that amongst all the ethnic groups




that comprise of the United States, Whites are the largest ethnic group participating in the

election process.


These numbers were a huge surprise to me when I first saw them; however, I expected to

view these results. Whites, the largest ethnicity group, have the privilege and the accessibility to

information that other people may not have. But why is this? African-Americans and other

ethnic groups are afraid of voting because they believe that their voice is not heard nor

represented in modern politics. In order to encourage more ethnically diverse groups to come

out and participate, politics must reflect who they are as a person. Moreover, we must educate

all Americans about the necessity and the importance of voting. Through education, we will see

more ethnic groups coming out to vote and be active within the political process.




Summary and Conclusion

Voting is a very big part of the fabric of American politics and the lack of voter

participation is a very big issue that needs to be addressed. There are several theories behind the

lack of voters‟ participation in the recent years. Some believe that due to the rise in a new

generation, many young people are less active in the political process. Moreover, the African

American community has also been less active. Some believe that the government does not

represent them or understand their basic human needs. Others argue that because of the lack of

“Black” representation on Capitol Hill, there is no need to actually go out and vote for the

different candidates who are running for office. Whatever the reason maybe, it is important to

find out why voter participation in elections is low.

The data showed some very interesting things. One interesting thing that the data showed

is that there is a big disproportion between registered voters and actual voters. When I first

looked at this problem, I thought that the reason behind low voter participation was due to the

lack of registered voters; however, that is not the case. We are seeing that people are registering

to vote for the National elections – both Presidential and Congressional. The problem lies with

the actual voting process. We need to find adequate ways in making sure that the number of

people registered to vote matches the actual number of people who do vote.

Another interesting conclusion that I found interesting from the data is the many

disparities amongst ethnic groups, education and employment. We need to make sure that every

American is knowledgeable about the important of participating in the voting process. One‟s

ethnic background, level of education nor status of employment should effect whether or not

they vote. By doing this, we will start to see similar numbers across the board. One must

remember that voting is a right of all Americans and not just some. It is our job as citizens to




hold our government accountable of their actions and the only way to do this is by participating

actively in the voting process.




References

Morris, S. (2010, September 22). Low Voting Registration and Participation amongst Americans.

Table 2. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-556, and earlier reports;

“Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2006” (published June 2008);www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html


“Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008” (published May 2010);www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html


„„Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004‟‟ (published 25 May 2005);http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html

Table 406. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-557, and earlier reports;„„Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008‟‟ (published 20 July 2009);

http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html













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Low Voting Registration and Participation amongst Americans: Annotated Graphs