What reasons do you see that are making voter turnout so low in elections?

Answer 1

Most people just think, "hey what difference does just one vote make?" then that one vote turns into thousands. They really don't realize that every vote counts. Oh yeah, some people just don't wanna get up off their butts and go down there.

Answer 2

Just by recent reproductive effort alone, the Bush/Kerry election had the biggest turnout in decades. Millions of young voters registered to make a difference and to decide the next president of the United States, and when the biggest two centers of media (Los Angeles and New York) that fought to get the added voter turnout was TRUMPED by Rural America, which had a President on a Train (sounds like a bad action movie) who simply said "Kerry isn't right" in not so many words, you get disenchanted about the whole system.

The problem is that the strongest defense Bush had for Kerry was a fallacy: he is wishy-washy and changed his position on some topics.

Bush has changed his policy after failing to capture bin Laden: instead of Matador Diplomacy, he's become more involved with the UN and leaders of state than EVER. Isn't that wishy-washy, too?

People let TV make their minds up too easily. If Kerry changed his views on something after contemplating something he never considered before, should that be such a bad thing? We do it all the time as people: doctors, lawyers, teachers, businesspeople, workers, etc. Why can't they?

The strategy book for all politicians is ridiculous right now: Democrats are considering their 'platforms' before running for office, and should their opinion not be popular, they merely drop out of the race, when the truth is that everything changes... no one has the complete picture.

That is the genius of democracy: a flexible but stable platform wins no matter what, but you have to be capable of bending, which no one wants to do right now. Even voters.

But to be so personally invested in an election, then to lose... it takes a toll on you in a way.

Answer 3

Just a few statistics from the 2004 election to answer your question:

Total population of voting age citizens--197 million
Total population registered to vote--142 million (72 percent)
Total voter turnout--125.7 million (63.8% of voting age; 88.5% of
registered)

The turnout in 2004 (64% of voting age citizens) was 4 percent higher than 2000, and the highest since 1992 (68 percent). The total population who voted (126 million) was the highest in electoral history.

So, then, where is the low voter turnout you're referring to?

Answer 4

People have this irrational belief that their vote doesn't matter.

They are ill-informed.

They are apathetic.

They believe there is no difference in the established political parties (and already being ill-informed and apathetic they fail to vote for other parties deserving of national press).

They are not even registered and probably are unaware of voting absentee by mail.

Television fails miserably at portraying issues that truly matter in a structured rational way.

Debate in america is dead. I mean real debate, the kind with rules and structure, not the bullshit called debate today.

Very limited accountability, strangely not on the governments part because they produce the most material on the planet and it's almost all freely available, but because of millions of people not giving a damn so politicians can practically do whatever they want.

I can keep going, but it's just too depressing.

The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty. - James Madison

Answer 5

The negative campaigns run by candidates discourge voters by giving them no options and then the voters decide not to vote because the voters think that all of the candidates are horrible. This also leads to great dissatisfaction with the government as a whole which lessens civic participation.

Answer 6

There are lots of reasons.

Probably chief among them is that people don't think it really makes a difference.

Most Americans are smart enough to understand the Constitution, all it takes is the intellectual honesty to do so. Most people see a huge difference between what the Constitution says and what the government does and has done under Republican/Democrat control for the past 150 years.

The debate is over how to control guns, but it says right in the Constitution they can't do it at all. The debate is over abortion, but the people don't see it in the Constitution at all.

And yet, these usurpations of power and more at the hands of the two major parties is not talked about in the media, so people doubt themselves and keep silent, and just don't bother to participate in a system that offers them nothing.

Most of us want to be free. That's not usually one of our choices.

http://www.lp.org

Answer 7

First and foremost are the declining virtues of Americans. Duty being the dead virtue most responsible for low voter turnout. More and more Americans ignore their duty to their nation to participate in the formation of the government that runs it. Lack of duty can be summarized as selfishness. Most people can't be bothered to participate because they don't believe that the outcome affects them - or not enough for them to take time away from what they want to do to exercise their rights. This country is slowly crumbling. Most people probably don't think that will affect them, either.

Answer 8

I honestly think its the overwhelming feeling that there's nothing one person can do any more. It seems to me that there were candidates in the 50's, 60's and on (Kennedy, Nixon, Regan) that caused a National movement within the population. We just don't see leaders like these anymore that can give the public a point to rally around. Without that, at least I feel that voters tend to think their single vote doesn't matter or change anything.

Answer 9

Results are shown in the media before half the country even votes. By the time the west coast should be going to the polls after work, the media has called most elections - so why bother?

Answer 10

Who says there is going to be a low voter turn out? Why, the Lib media, and their polls. You see, they want to make the Conservatives feel that it's useless, but with Rush, Hannity, Liddy, Beck... The Libs are gonna get a big surprise, waking up the day after election wondering what in the hell happened. Hide, and watch.

Answer 11

I think one of the biggest voter turn offs is the negative advertising. When a negative ad comes on you are usually getting disinformation, half truths and sometimes, outright lies that have to be retracted later. Both sides do this in order to make the other side look bad. What I don't understand is why they don't run on positive campaigns, as these types of campaigns usually win.