Political Participation: Reinvolving the Voter

By Chris Lewis –college of New Jersey

With the exception of dictatorships, no modern political system can produce close to a 100-percent turnout of all legally eligible voters. But other democratic systems like Australia and Sweden have produced estimated turnouts of over 90 percent, while in the United States' most recent elections only about two-thirds of the voting population registered and only slighty more than half bothered to cast a ballot in presidential years (55.9 percent in 1992). In non-presidential years, that percentage drops below 50.

Lack of American voter participation has its origins in the late 1960s. With increasing dissatisfaction over America's participation in the Vietnam War, student demonstrations and political rallies took the place of the voting booth. The Watergate scandal in the early 1970s cemented American apathy towards politics and voting. One of the fundamental reasons why Americans stay away from the polls today is their belief that election outcomes are not very important to their lives.

But according to Thomas Patterson, author of The American Democracy, other factors also contribute to American voter apathy. Although other democracies also require voter registration, they place responsibility with the government. The United States, in keeping with its individualistic culture, is the only democracy in which voter registration is the individual's responsibility. Furthermore, registration laws are established by the state governments and some states make it relatively difficult for citizens to qualify. Registration periods and locations are not highly publicized, and Patterson believes many citizens simply do not know when or where to register.

The frequency of U.S. elections also reduces turnout by increasing the effort required to participate in all of them. Patterson points out that most European nations have less frequent elections, and the responsibility of voting is less burdensome. Many European countries also schedule their elections on Sundays or declare election day to be a national holiday, making it more convenient for working people to vote. In the U.S., elections are traditionally held on Tuesdays and most people must vote either before or after work.

One solution to the problem of voter registration was presented in May 1993. The National Voter Registration Act or Motor Voter Law introduced several key provisions to make voting easier. States must give eligible citizens the opportunity to register to vote at motor vehicle license bureaus when they come in to get or renew their driver's license. They must establish registration sites at unemployment and social welfare offices serving largely poor people who do not own or drive a car; institute a system of postcard registration; and are prohibited from purging from their voter registration rolls any person who failed to vote in a previous election. The bill also urged states to adopt election-day registration (already on the books in Maine, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to avoid the costs of the Act's other requirements.

In Jerry Calvert's article, "Suppose They Held an Election and Almost Everybody Came," advocates of the Motor Voter bill said it would put 90 percent of eligible Americans on the registration polls and increase participation in elections. "You do not become interested in an election all year out; you become interested as election day approaches, as people begin to debate, as people begin to bring their message to the people. You find the candidate you want to work for and vote for and, lo and behold, you are not registered because you did not go through the hoops and over the barriers to be registered," said Minnesota Senator Paul Westone on the Senate floor, urging passage of the bill in 1993.

But while the Motor Voter bill is a positive step toward reinvolving the American voter, two mediums of information and expression need to be used more frequently to involve young voters. For the past several years, MTV's Choose or Lose program has brought the candidates and the issues right into people's homes. Its object is to inform young people not only of the issues but that their vote is important -- and that it is wasteful neglecting voting as a way to voice their opinions.

Another way to get the message of voter participation across is through the Internet. Every major candidate running for president this year has had his own World Wide Web site, explaining his position on every issue and giving the public his personal and professional background. By understanding the people running for office and what they are about, choosing someone to vote for can be made a lot easier.

Obviously laws like the Motor Voter bill are steps in the right direction but they are not enough. Citizens, especially young people who are less likely to have the political concern that comes with homeownership, permanent employment and a family, need to be made aware of the importance of voting every November. Through television and the Internet, educating (or re-educating) people to understand campaign issues will go a long way toward increasing voter turnout in this country.