why does only half of the usa vote (on average)?

Question

2000 presidential election (usa stats)
298,984,020 (population)
105,405,100 voted
193,578,920 didnt vote
2004 presidential election (usa stats)
296,410,404 (population)
122,293,332 voted
174,117,072 didnt vote
come on, we can do better than this.

sorry, yes these are the over 18yo #s.

Answer 1

becasue the americans dont view it as a privalage, and more of as an inconvience.

Answer 2

First, the U.S. population contains a great many people who CANNOT vote - too young, not citizens, or have lost voting rights due to criminal convictions. You should be glad this includes some former Enron executives!

So your question is not effectively phrased.

IF "half the population voted," there was a lot of cheating going on.

The real issue is why don't people elegible to vote in the U.S. register, and then, of those registered, why does such a relatively small percentage actually participate.

The main reason is that the U.S. political parties DO NOT WANT "UNRELIABLE" VOTERS GOING TO THE POLLS.

Since the mid-1960's one of the most sought-after goals of political campaigns has been to "activate" the "base" voters, those people safely expected to vote in favor of the candidate or issue, and persuade "swing" voters considered most likely to turn out to go the way the campaign wishes.

This is the fundamental strategy of EVERY political campaign.

And it has been matched over the past 40 years by efforts to do everything possible to discourage voting by people the campaign managers can't predict. One of the results has been a divisive polarization of the nation and a matching disillusionment of those "unreliable" people.

Your real question should be how to reform politics and campaigning to win back the confidence of voters and force candidates to address matters of substance.

Answer 3

If half vote, that surprises me. I didn't think it was even that high. I haven't missed an election since 1976 when I voted for Jimmy Carter. Women in the US went to jail for the right to vote so we should vote, but mostly if you say it doesn't matter if I vote, then someone else is making the decision for you.
My brother works with the Red Cross and I can promise you, the people he sees in different countries in Africa would love to have a say so in what happens to them. The the people in Iraq and Afghanistan risk bullets at the voting booth and ambush on the way home to vote and they go.
There's a lot of Bush bashers out there, but if you didn't vote, you made no attempt to stop him. This is his second term so you knew the risks.

Answer 4

i didnt vote last election because I thought neither candidate deserved my vote. I kept up on the elections and watched all the debates. It is pointless right now to even bother voting for an independent party candidate. Put up a candidate worth my vote and who I feel would be a good candidate for president and I would be at the polls. Bush vs Kerry was a terrible election. The Democrats really dropped the ball on their candidate.

Answer 5

First, in truth the amount of people voting is a little less than half of the people eligible to vote.
The excuses people use not to vote include: not being able to get to the polls, their vote doesn't count, there isn't a candidate I support, i'm not registered.

The actual reasons can include: The media not advertising political campains anymore, or if they do it's very little. A calendar system of elections, and the fact that no one is denied the right to vote anymore....when someone is told they can't do it, they want to.

Answer 6

Because many of our politicians simply ignore what the vast majority of people want on various important issues. Big example is immigration. Most americans want immigration reduced to a tiny fraction of what it is currently and we want illegal immigration reduced to zero.

Note that everytime a politician breaks ranks and campaigns on the issues, he wins by a landslide. For example, the current republican win for the house seat in california. He was in last place. Then he comes out strongly against amnesty and gains an amazing 30 points to win the election.

All republicans should start doing this. They have a real opportunity to crush the democrats in the upcoming elections. The dems are wholesale devoted to a sick and evil agenda. They will NEVER align themselves with what people want on various issues. If the republicans do, they will crush them decisively and maintain power for decades.

Answer 7

First, do your numbers account for under-18s and those incompetent to vote? Second, I see it more as either an overall satisfaction with status quo or dissatisfaction with available choices, so many voters don't perceive their vote as "needed." For example, in some states, such as NY, a democratic vote isn't actually needed in a presidential election, as the state has already chosen its electoral reps.

Answer 8

If you don't vote, don't ***** (unless you are a convicted felon). If you are not satisfied with either candidate, vote third party. If all the people who didn't vote for that reason voted third party in the next election we would finally see change. By getting 4% (I think that's right) of the vote, we would finally have the right to debate with Democrats and republicans.

Answer 9

I honestly believe it does not matter.I do not mean to be offensive,and i am not trying to be sarcastic.The majority most often rules,as they should.We really only have 2 parties when it all comes down to it,heads and tails.Overall that is 50% of the decisions making from D party and 50% from R party.Their obligations after getting into office are primarily to those who financed them anyway. With 50/50 it all even out eventually anyway.

Answer 10

Does voting really matter? The rich republicans will always get who they want in office. Majority vote does not matter, but should. They cheat the elections!!! Why is it that Florida had a recount- not fair. The entire country should have had votes recounted. This government is backwards...

Answer 11

Professor Engelhart at the university of Michigan (As do I) believes that voter turn out has become not that accurate of a tool civic action. He points out that people have begun to become more active, by demanding more instant gratifying governments such as protest, letters, or other types of participation. Americans have begun lobbying for causes, not just for people anymore