Locked Out How the United States Limits Voter

Locked Out? How the United States Limits Voter Participation Bill Winders School of History, Technology, & Society Georgia Tech

Voting in a Democracy n dēmos (people) + kratos (rule) n Voter turnout and the health of a democracy

Voting in Our Democracy n How many people voted in the 2004 presidential election? Year Turnout 18 -24 yr olds Georgia 2004 2000 1996 55 51 49 42 32 32 51 42 41

Voting in Our Democracy n At other levels of government, voter participation becomes even lower. n Off-year congressional elections: ¨ 2006: ¨ 2002: ¨ 1998: ¨ 1994: n 37% (Georgia = 31%) 37% 36% (Georgia = 31%) 39% More young voters in 2006 – How many? ¨ 24% of voters under the age of 30.

Why don’t Americans vote?

Explaining Turnout in the US n 1. Individual Characteristics ¨ Attributes n of voters vs. non-voters 2. Political Institutions ¨ The “shape” of political institutions. ¨ Rules about voting, parties, representation, etc.

US Voter Turnout in Historical Perspective

Table 1. Average Turnout in Twenty. One Democracies, 1990 -2000 Nation Turnout Italy 90 Netherlands 76 New Zealand 86 Norway 76 Greece 85 Germany 72 Belgium 84 United Kingdom 72 Sweden 84 Finland 71 Australia 83 Ireland 71 Denmark 83 Russia 70 Spain 79 France 61 Portugal 79 Canada 60 Austria 78 United States 52 Switzerland 38

Election Rules and Voter Turnout: in History n Between 1896 and 1924, turnout fell dramatically. n Rule changes: ¨ Literacy tests, poll taxes, waiting periods, ¨ *Personal registration system

Election Rules and Voter Turnout: Today n Election Day Registration (EDR) ¨ 6 states in 2004. ¨ Turnout in EDR states average about 14 percentage points higher than other states. State 1. Minnesota 2. Wisconsin 3. Maine 4. New Hampshire 44. Georgia US Average Turnout (2004) 73. 0 71. 5 71. 3 67. 7 50. 5 55. 3

Election Rules and Voter Turnout: Today n Georgia: Multiple Primaries ¨ Presidential Primary (Feb. 5): 28% ¨ General Primary (July 15): 12% n Barriers to Voting: ¨ Registration System, Numerous elections, Voter ID, felon disenfranchisement, etc.

Locked Out? Voting in a Democracy n Whose voices are excluded from our democratic process? n What does low voter turnout say about the “health” of our democracy? n What does it say about the attitudes most people have toward the two major parties?