Good Morning!

1
Good Morning!

• As you sit down, please take out a piece of
  paper.
• Make a prediction as to what percentage of people
  living in the United States vote in Presidential
  elections.
• Write down your prediction on the piece of paper.
  
• Discuss with your partner your prediction and why

2
What is the cause of low voter turnout in the
United States?
3
Voter turnout is on the decline in most
established democracies and the US is one of the
lower turnouts overall!
4
So why does it matter if some people arent
voting in the US?

• Increased voter turnout adds legitimacy to the
  system. Legitimacy means that it is a true
  reflection of the will of the people. If there
  are specific parts of the population that are not
  voting, then theyre opinion is not being heard.
  The representational government will be skewed,
  creating a bias that could affect legislation. We
  must stop this trend now in order to preserve our
  democratic values!

5
Youve been briefed of the situation. Your
missionTo Create a hypothesis that
explains the low voter turnout in the United
States.
6
Data Set One Voter Registration

• To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia a
  person must   
• Be a resident of Virginia (A person who has come
  to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to
  return to another state is not considered a
  resident for voting purposes)
• Be a U. S. Citizen 
• Be 18 years old (Any person who is 17 years old
  and will be eighteen years of age at the next
  general election shall be permitted to register
  in advance and also vote in any intervening
  primary or special election) 
• Does not claim the right to vote in any other
  State 
• Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a
  court of law 
• If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must
  have been restored
• Source Virginia State Board of Elections

7
Data Set One Voter Registration

• Steps to be able to vote in Virginia General
  Election
• Register to vote at one of these locations
  online, local voter registration office, DMV,
  public library, State Board of Elections Office,
  Voter Registration Drive, Armed Forces
  Recruitment Offices, State or Local Government
  offices
• Find your assigned local polling place
• Visit local polling place on election day between
  6 am and 7 pm
• Source Virginia State Board of Elections

8
Okay, so now weve seen data set one. Do we
want to revise our hypotheses that explains the
low voter turnout in the United States?
9
Data Set Two Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is the redrawing of district
boundaries for partisan advantage Redrawing the
balanced electoral districts in this example
creates a guaranteed 3-to-1 advantage in
representation for the blue voters. Here, 14 red
voters are packed into the yellow district and
the remaining 18 are cracked across the 3 blue
districts.
10
Okay, so now weve seen data set two. Do we
want to revise our hypotheses that explains the
low voter turnout in the United States?
11
Data Set Three Comparison of 1996-2004
Table B.
Indicates Winner of the Election Sources
Official Website of the National Archives and
Dave Leips Atlas of the U.S. Presidential
Elections
12
Data Set Three Comparison of 1996-2004
13
Okay, so now weve seen data set three. Do
we want to revise our hypotheses that explains
the low voter turnout in the United States?
14
Data Set Four Ineligible Americans

• The Pew Hispanic Center Report estimates there
  are between 11.5 and 12 million unauthorized
  migrants in the United States as of March 2006
• Harvard's George Borjas says the average
  American's wealth is increased by less than 1
  percent because of illegal immigration.
• Even though these unauthorized migrants
  contribute to our economy, they are not eligible
  to vote due to a lack of citizenship

Source Pew Hispanic Center, NPR
15
Data Set Four Ineligible Americans
The Immigration Debate Giving Illegal Immigrants
the Right to Vote
Source NPR Radio http//www.npr.org/templates/sto
ry/story.php?storyId5488189
16
Okay, so now weve seen data set four. Do
we want to revise our hypotheses that explains
the low voter turnout in the United States?
17
Data Set Five Compulsory Voting around the World
Source International Institute for Democracy and
Electoral Assistance
18
Okay, so now weve seen data set five. Do
we want to revise our hypotheses that explains
the low voter turnout in the United States?
19
In Conclusion
What are the MAIN causes of low voter turnout in
the United States based on our data sets and
prior knowledge?
20
Good Morning!

• Here are the main causes of low voter turnout in
  the United States based on your hypotheses from
  last class
• Registration Barriers
• Voter Characteristics
• Voter Efficacy due to the level of competition
  in the election
• A significant portion of the population is
  ineligible to vote
• We do not have compulsory voting like other
  countries around the world
• Pick one of those causes. Write a three paragraph
  reaction that includes
• Why low voter turnout in the United States is
  significant (give at least two reasons)
• How does the cause you selected contribute to low
  voter turnout in the United States
• Brainstorm possible solutions that would address
  the cause you selected in order to increase voter
  turnout in the United States.