Voter Turnout

Term Paper # 16423

Political Science > Election and Campaigns

This paper explores ways of improving voter turnout in U.S. elections.

1,720 words () | 4 sources | 2002 | Canada

Published on: Jan 25, 2003

Paper Summary:

This paper addresses the issue of the decreasing number of citizens who vote in U.S. elections and suggests various reforms in order to adapt to a changing society. The paper begins by discussing the issue of election timing, looking at the options of changing the election day and declaring election day a national holiday. The paper then suggests utilizing the method of proportional representation, in order to motivate people to vote. It also mentions other countries where proportional representation has been successful. Next the paper deals with the proposal of mandatory voting, listing advantages and disadvantages of the method. Finally, the paper looks at the idea of online voting, raising the many benefits of this method of voting.

From the Paper:

"Since 1788, political campaigns and elections have been an essential aspect of American National Government. Subsequently, presidential elections have been scheduled and have occurred each four years. The United States has had 43 Presidents authorized to serve according to the U.S Constitution, while the 1788 population of about 4 million has increased to over 281 million in 2000. In recent decades, the percentage of citizens who vote in elections has been decreasing. In order to significantly increase voter participation in elections, reforms must be made to the system to suit the changing society. Concepts such as election timing, mandatory voting, Proportional Representation and online voting are key ideas that, if implemented, could have a major influence on increasing the amount of citizens who vote."