I won’t even try to count how many times I’ve complained about low voter turnout, so when a saw an article purporting to have ways to increase voter turnout, I could not resist sharing it with you. However I do disagree with the author on one key point.
Voter turnout in the U.S. during the last midterm election hit the lowest point since the 1940s. The number of Americans heading to the polls each election has been declining for the last fifty years and lawmakers have recently been pushing efforts to keep even more people away from the polls.
People do not exercise their right to vote for various reasons, some of which are easier to solve than others. According to a U.S. Census report from 2013, 14 percent of nonvoting respondents were unable to participate because of an illness or disability, 8.6 percent were out of town, 12.7 percent did not like the candidates or campaign issues and almost 19 percent were too busy. Some people cannot take time off from work on a Tuesday in November, which has led lawmakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to call for making Election Day a federal holiday. Others may not feel engaged in politics or informed enough to vote, while 5.85 million U.S. citizens are prohibited from voting due to a felony conviction on their records.
Voting advocates, including those who spoke at the Elections and Voting Summit last week, have been developing and pushing for new ways to get more people to the polls. Unlike laws that restrict access through voter ID laws, shorter registration and early voting periods and disenfranchising felons, these proposals are likely to have support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and would not be difficult to implement to get voters to turn out in higher numbers… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Click through for the list of ideas.
My disagreement is with the author’s statement that these ideas would have bipartisan support. Republicans may give lip service to such ideas at conferences, but in real life, Republicans are doing everything they can to disenfranchise legitimate voters.
I still think one of the best ways to increase voter turnout is to adopt Oregon’s vote by mail system.
18 Responses to “How to Increase Voter Turnout”
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I read recently where CA's DMV was under fire for failing to comply with the law regarding change of address for DMV linking to voter registration change of address. Census data used to show that Californians moved on average every 3 years. With 2010 census, the data indicated one-third moved each year (some within the same county). In recent elections the majority of voters in some places vote by mail since CA permits a permanent request for mail voting be filed now rather than the request having to be remade with each election.
I know one thing which would have bipartisan support, but it wouldn't increase turnout. No one supports reenfranchising convicted felons! Except you and I, who have personal reasons to know that the percentage of POS's among convicted felons is no higher than in the general population, and may even be considerably lower.
The problem with engaging people between elections is that they have to want to be engaged. A graphic a Care2 friend sent with her newslink sats, "The general population doesn't know what's happening, and it doesn't even know that it doesn't know." As long as that is the case, what incentive is there to engage? You can't force-feed information.
Increasing voter registration is definitely necessary. Sorry, Wayne Williams is no poster child for it.
Both Oregon and Colorado have all-mail balloting, and I am absolutely in favor of that. I don't know about Oregon; in Colorado we have to pay the postage, and I think it should be franked. I don't see this gaining bipartisan ground nationally because it would be too good for the Postal Service, which Republicans are doing their best to privatize.
In Oregon, if we actually mail the ballot we have to pay the postage too, but we have the alternative of drop boxes for ballots, which require no postage and are located in every county in the state. Where I live in Eugene, there are two drop boxes within walking distance of my home.
I agree with you about bipartisan support, Republicans hate the system because it encourages high voter turn-out – Oregon consistently ranks in the top 10 in voter participation, I believe Colorado does as well – is good for the post office, and because of the security measures the state has in place, is too difficult for them to bugger the results.
John is correct, but I understand that ballots mailed without postage will still be delivered. To be safe, I bought a book of stamos and gave it to the front desk, who affixed postage to the ballots of prople who needed it.
In Oregon, ex convicts may vote.
If we made voting mandatory, maybe we would have a better country!
More coercion isn't the answer. Having the police come after people for not voting would be as insane a waste of resources (and intrusion on people) as the war on drugs is. Not having the police come after people would make the law meaningless.
TomCat (who lives in Oregon, as I do) has the right idea with adopting vote-by-mail. Turnout in this state last year was almost twice the national average. Vote-by-mail works.
I fully agree with Infidel. People who don't vote unless forced to do so will not take the trime to acquaint themselves with candidates and issues. Such ignorant prople are more likely to vote Republican, anyway.
I am not sure the answer is cut and dry. What I do know if the 2014 election as any kind of indicator I would say if the party had went out and spoke to the American people instead of worrying about "What"? Running from Obama and letting the republican/tea party win on lies. But I know it really leaves the "It does not matter no one cares". Just winning and nothing else. And the ones in Washington spent the rest of the time just playing games with the other side. People will not care and getting people to care goes out the window. It really turns people off . So even when you have a winning focus on issues it will not matter if you are not willing to use your platform when people what to hear what those issues are? You get instead get half truths and can not be honest you will never get people to care.
I agree, but that's a separaste issue.
I clicked through, and some of the ideas would work. The Kentucky legislature is currently working on a bill that allows felons voting rights and it appears that it will pass. My 85 year old mother insisted on voting in the November election. She is on a cane, has trouble with her vision and some dementia. We asked her if she knew who she wanted to vote for, her answer: I will just pull the switch next to the rooster, that's all I want elected. This apple didn't fall far from that tree.
I agree with you, TC, there will be no bipartisan effort to get more people out to vote.
As long as there are Republicanus/Teabaggerum, there will always be problems and irregularities in voting. "Winning at all costs" seems to be their motto, or perhaps it's "by hook or by crook", heavy on the crooks!
Personally, I think that one thing that needs to be done is to remove all vestiges of partisan influence which would mean having an independent election commission to conduct all administrative functions . . . ballot preparation, poll monitoring, registrations etc. Ideally, that should restore some confidence in the entire system which might increase turnout.
In Canada, the lowest turnout in a federal election in the past 100 years was 58.8% in 2008 while the turnout in the last election in 2011 was 61.1%, the third lowest. Our highest was in 1958 at 79.4%. We have Elections Canada which is in charge of all this. Concerned that Harper might call an early election, Elections Canada has all the materials ready to go out with the exception of ballots which are done at the end for obvious reasons. http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/historical-turnout.html
In the Us, the last midterm election federally was 33.24% which is also the lowest turnout for all federal elections since 1946. For presidential years, the turnout in 2012 was 54.62%, while the lowest was 51.09% in 1948.
In Canada, we can do same day registration. All that is required is picture ID with a current address or a current utility bill in the case of someone who's picture ID has a different address.
We also have early voting starting about 2 weeks before and includes some saturdays.
Canadians who are living or travelling outside Canada can vote by special ballot in federal elections, by-elections and referendums, but the ballots can not be requested until the election is called.
While the current level of turnout is far from stellar here, I believe all these things contribute to confidence in the system. I can certainly understand some US voters who think that their voter doesn't matter. Republicanus/Teabaggerum antics have made voting more and more difficult. But while I understand, I do not agree. If my vote were being suppressed, I would be mad as hell and be ready to take on the mangiest Republicanus/Teabaggerum to protect my right.
The mail-in ballot seems also to be a method that works for Oregon with a 70.9% turnout in 2014. Unfortunately I did not find the comparable figures for Colorado.
Sorry, forgot to add the source of the US turnout figures.
http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?CountryCode=US
If Harper's Harlots stay in power, they may try to change that.
No kidding! Harper's Harlots are the ones that orchestrated the robocall scandal and then threw a low level aide under the bus for it They are doing their damnedest to imitate US Republicanus/Teabaggerum. Likewise the Senate scandal involves mostly conservative senators and one of Harper's henchmen, namely Nigel Wright. They are such a bunch of dishonest asswipes.
TY TC – stilll having computer probs – but I agree with everyone… and with you when you point out that wanting the Repuglicons to support these reforms is so unrealistic.
I do remember a saying "If there is no-one you want to vote for, there is always someone you want to vote against!" – and as others have commented 'if you don't vote, you can't complain' – I use this when I try and get people to vote, (even if I know they will vote contrary to me!).
NB – with new voting rules and everyone having to reapply to be on various things such as postal voting, Cameron is supposed to have caused one million votes to disappear! As always they would have been likely to be votes against Tory policy and greed (students etc), so what a surprise that was (not!).
A few points. This list is, by no means, complete. lol.
Make voting mandatory. The GOP/TP/Koch Party would soon find themselves obsolete.
Electronic voting by computers might sound like a good idea but electronics have a way of being manipulated just like the voting machines. As with any election, there must be a paper trail.
Mailing sounds like a good idea but "who" on the other end of the mail system is counting the votes…
Make the voting day a national holiday or else move the voting day into a voting weekend.
Allow the "felons" to vote. After all, they are citizens and have more than paid the price.
Teach responsibility in schools with civics classes in voting matters. Prepare high school student to learn about voting and the responsibility of it and get them registered early before their 18th birthday. Educate people with the idea that voting does matter.
Create more voting polls and places where people who like attending and voting in such places. This would help cut down on the long lines and waits to vote.
The Voting Rights Act needs to be restored. Jim Crow is alive and well, not only in the South, but in many other states as well.
Publish the pros and cons of each political party. What the Congresscritters, both on the state and national levels, have done during their tenure in office. Make these public and advertised by independent groups.
Require the DMV of each state also require voter registration materials be filled out at the same time while filling out a drivers license, a renewal and/or ID card. Show proof of such voter ID has indeed been filled out.
Restrict political parties from advertising until 6 months before the actual voting day takes place.
Truth is required for advertising on TV, on the radio and in the mails. Any candidate that is caught lying in any venue shall be heavily fined or dismissed from being a candidate.
Repeal the Citizens United. Get the corporate money out of politics.
Extend poll voting not just on one day, but allow voters time to vote. Extend voting in the voting polls to 1 week.
Anything that ensures that more people will vote will never get support from the greedy Olde Pharts.
Thanks all. I'm running out of gas.