What are the reasons why Americans vote at a lower rate than Western Europeans?

Question

Are country always boasts about democracy yet we don't participate in it....

Answer 1

-Americans aren't required to vote
-Quite a few Americans don't register to vote
-In the past, it was difficult to register to vote and difficult to cast absentee ballots. Both have improved in the last few years, but absentee ballots have also been miscounted as well.
-Americans aren't given the day off to vote
-In the last presidential election, more women voted than men, for the first time
-In the last few presidential elections, the older you are, the more likely you are to vote; the younger you are, the least likely you are to vote.
-In the part of the country I live in, the polls seem to break down every time there is a large turn-out. Sometimes the polls hours are extended, sometimes they aren't.
-In the south where I live, voters have been sent official looking notifications that they couldn't vote if they've moved recently (which wasn't true). It was sent by the state Republican party, primarily to black voters. The phone lines have also been cut or the phone lines jammed at the Democratic Party headquarters on a few election days, so voters couldn't call and get a ride to the polls. Ah, America, the land of the free.

Answer 2

The reason is because the US is governed by the Electoral College. Many people do not vote since they think that their
state or county will most likely vote for them.

The European nations are also pretty tiny and have each vote count.

Oh Fishman.. it is the Europeans who are the spoiled ones.
They have easily available health care, child care, governmental programs, can retire after 20 years of work,
(yes, I know of people retired and collecting a nice pension at 40), good quality of food and life, extensive paid vacations, paid maternity leave, the doctors do house calls, they get paid an extra 13th month Christmas bonus, they have very inexpensive and good universities, many do not work while in high school or college, have excellent transportation systems, the majority live in nice dwellings with decent cars, the American taxpayers protect them and our soldiers die for them should any military or other problem arise... and this is just a start.

Anyone who says that Americans are lazy is a person who is misinformed. I have lived in and gone to school in both places, and on top of all this, the Europeans do a great job of complaining about their excellent situation. On the planet, they are among the most cared-for people.

Answer 3

I am not sure which countries but quite a few it is not a right to vote it is a mandate. A person that is legally allowed to vote must vote or be subject to some sort of legal consequence, probably a fine. I would love this but in our society we have to many nimrods who have no clue about the issues let alone the candidates. They would listen to whoever hollywood would be endorsing the heaviest. We would probably wind up with president Cruise or Baldwin or some other nutjob with a prettyface and a silvertounge. Politics is allready too much of a popularity contest as it is, that would make it worse.

Answer 4

the concern with the widespread healthcare is that if healthcare maintains to be privatized, the main beneficiaries are as quickly as returned the insurance companies. they're going to nevertheless administration the fees, yet this time around the government will in simple terms foot the invoice. The international locations you're speaking approximately have particularly public healthcare. as an occasion Canada has approximately 70% of all healthcare presented via the state and maximum hospitals proceed to be non-income. As for the expenditures of controlled healthcare, the increasing expenditures have been offset via quantity. The insurance companies have been waiting to fulfill their gross revenues aims via including extra human beings as their purchasers as because of the the government sponsorships. it is likewise the main attitude for them going forward, this is why they help mandated wellness care the place each physique will must be insured.

Answer 5

I used to be proud of the fact that I had voted in every election I could except one (and that one was solely for the local school board when I would be overseas in the military for the entire term of office).

I've missed a few in the last several years, though. I skipped a recent special Congressional election for my district, for example, because my district is such that the Democrat nominee will be elected in a landslide... I don't think a Republican has even bothered running in several elections (it's usually down to the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green parties on the ballot, sometimes with an "Independent" thrown in).

Answer 6

the fact that only 2 parties who share largely the same views are viable to vote for in todays climate. The way that the media covers all political issues. The fact that "elected representatives" in the us do not behave as though they are beholden to the people, but instead the other way around. For these reasons and tons of others most people in the US find it pointless to vote...

Answer 7

Apathy for sure, but also many people can't get off work to vote. In Europe, I believe voting is held on weekends or for longer hours. Several states have a 6:00 to 6:00 hours.

Answer 8

There are many reasons for this.

Many people simply go to work, go home & pay bills and don't want to vote or feel voting will make no difference in their lives.

I tend to think that our public education system and overall society does not promote national pride. There is little teaching & talk of everything those before us sacraficed so we could be free and be able to vote. Many schools no longer say the pledge, discuss our military with pride, study the writings of our Founding Fathers, etc.

There is such a lack of focus in our nation currently at it affects all aspects of our lives.

Answer 9

The majority iof people who dont vote are, you... guessed it...democrats. Voting rates for the majority of registered republicans are significantly higher. You can tell who takes their civic duties more importantly. Also the poorer you are the less likely you are to vote.

Answer 10

I think that the reason is mostly because people in America feel that their vote doesn't Really count. The Popular vote doesn't count like it should instead the Electorial Collage over rules it. which is compleate B.S. in this day and age. Maybe if we did away with the Electoral Collage or at least re configured it somehow citizens would feel that their vote truely mattered and they would vote more.