Voting+Turnout+and+Voting+Behavior



= Description = = = Voting is optional in the United States. And while the ability of different groups to vote has expanded over the course of time, not all do. This is an important - and consequential - fact of American politics. Election results are less due to the popularity of certain candidates and policy proposals in the general population than of their popularity among the portion of the population that turns out to vote.

This makes sense of course.

The purpose of this section is to walk through the factors leading to the variance in voter turnout and why some groups tend to vote why others do not.

= Goals =

- To understand why not voting can seem to be a rational decision, but why turnout is an indication of the strength of different groups in the electorate. - To know the factors influencing voter turnout. - To explain the variance in turnout among different groups in society - and the consequences of this variance. - To understand the impact that voter registration had on voter turnout, and the tension that exists between efforts to combat voter fraud and the temptation to engage in voter suppression. - To know what factors - both long and short terms - lead voters to make the decisions they do once they decide to vote.

= Key Terms =

- Voter Turnout - The Irrationality of Voting - The Paradox of Voting - Primarying - Voting Age Population - Presidential Elections - Midterm Elections - Elite Politics - Machine Politics - Progressive Era - Voter Registration - Voter Fraud - Voter Suppression - Voter Behavior - Party Identification - Ideological Orientations -