Who votes is crucial as it affects who is elected and what issues politicians put at the top of their agenda. These policies are consistent with the preferences of voters, rather than non-voters. The United States has relatively low voter participation, setting it apart from other developed countries.Young people are less likely to register to vote than older Americans. In an attempt to boost voter turnout, some states- 13 plus Washington D.C- have begun to offer same day registration in which people can both register and vote on the polling day. Five states- California, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont and West Virginia have even adopted laws that automatically register their residents to vote.
Political participation falls into two major categories: Traditional participation and digital participation. Traditional participation includes not only voting but also attending campaign events, rallies, and fundraisers, volunteering on behalf of candidates and political organizations, canvassing, displaying campaign signs, contacting elected officials, contributing money to candidates and parties, or even challenging a law in court. Protests, demonstrations, and strikes are old forms of participatory politics. Digital participation involves exchanging information, fundraising, and voter mobilization.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The affluent have resources. Therefore, they are more likely to donate money to candidates and political organizations. But voting remains the primary focus of the study of political behavior. The candidate with the majority of votes cast in an election wins political office, therefore patterns in voting behavior matter. Whether or not people vote or are recruited to participate in politics depends on their social setting- what their parents are like, what state they live in and what association they belong to.
The states retain control of voter registration and voting itself as stipulated in the constitution. Electoral laws affect voter participation. State electoral laws can create barriers to voting that can reduce participation. The United States electoral laws require a two-step process for voter participation to take place: registering to vote and then voting. These requirements mainly reduce voting by the young, those with lower levels of education and the less affluent.
