Voter Turnout

We need to change it

from JoeUser Forums

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Voter Turnout

After reading some statistics about voter turnout on 2000. I got kind of curious and decided to do a little more research. You see, after viewing the numbers, I was a little concerned. I hear so many people complaining about the turnout of 2000 presidential elections, and how it was not decided correctly - Then I look at the numbers of acual voter. I have to think, this doesn't jive - there seem to more people upset about the result than actually voted. If you look at the average TURN OUT it's not even a 3/4th's majority. My god even most votes in the senate need more of a turnout. So why do so few people show up to vote, and so many people show up to gripe. My take is this. Again we have a media bias. The media seams to pick up the Loudest voice not necessarily the LOUDEST voice. Let me put it this way, the person or people who can make the most noise, tend to get noticed quicker than the majority. It's like the tiny dog that barks like there is no tomorrow, and makes all kinds of racket, but all it is, is annoying as hell. Were the big dog will bark, but his presence is well known, because of his size, so why bother barking more. Or the maybe more well know "little man syndrome". Either case it seems to me that the more people who vote the easier it will be to select a a true winner, and one that have the majority behind it. So --- --- ---

Rise up - make your vote count - make sure your brothers, sisters, friends, and colleges, get out and vote - Or don't let them make a sound about the political climate after the fact. Make them show you that they voted -(not how, but that they did) 51.3 is ridiculous and it needs to be changed. Let your voice be heard, or it can be to quiet of a majority to matter.

STATE 2000 VAP 2000 REG % REG of VAP TURNOUT* % TO of REG % TO of VAP
UNITED STATES 205,815,000 156,421,311 76 105,586,274 67.5 51.3

these statistics came from http://www.fec.gov/pages/2000turnout/reg&to00.htm using a Google.com search for voter statistics.

The website has a state by state read-out - it's an atrocity -- Can we Change the voting habits in America?

politics
8,641 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from PolMach Forums Top
Hear here, I agree 100% either put up (vote) or shut up (because the person did not vote).

I think only people who actually voted should be able to gripe about who won or didn't win but than again you can't expect some people to quit complaining even if you tell them to shut up because they didn't vote.

- Grim X
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
voting in all democracies should be compulsory for the participants. Democracy is a privilege and a responsibility that people need to take seriously and be fined if they do not.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from PolMach Forums Top
voting in all democracies should be compulsory for the participants.


Uhm, no because than you get the problems they have in Australia and other places, completely uninformed voters being forced to vote.

I would rather have informed voters voting than a whole bunch of uninformed voters voting, it balances out though the uninformed not voting is rational.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Uhm, no because than you get the problems they have in Australia and other places, completely uninformed voters being forced to vote.


No one is forced to vote, just to turn up and get their names marked off. But you find that if people bother to go all the way to the polling station they usually decide that they should vote and if they go that far they usually decide that they should at least pay a bit of attention to who they want to vote for. What I am trying to say is that the fact of compulsory voting leads to people becoming more informed. I have lived under both systems and, in my opinion, compulsory voting is the way to go.
Reply #5 from PolMach Forums Top
Got to remember though the US is one country that does not like to be forced to do anything.

Though if it got passed only time would tell if it was more effective or less effective in the US.
Reply #6 from PolMach Forums Top
If we were to look back in history, we would see that people took there rights more seriously. I mean do you think we could have written and ratified the constitution if only half of the representatives had shown up - would it have meant anything - no - - With our passion, is were our rights came from - this passive bull-snot, that has become 49.7 percent of our eligible voting populas - is an outrage. I heard today that the are over 3 million potential eligible voters are unregistered, in California alone - that would make up the 12th largest state in the country - that’s just wrong.
Reply #7 from PolMach Forums Top
Keep in mind there is still a part of the population who cannot vote (mental asylum, prison, under 18, do not possess green card yet).

Even in history not everybody took their rights so seriously alas it was only a dream that they did.

Read some Philosophers of the time combined with History.
Reply #8 from PolMach Forums Top
The people of which you bring up -are not considered "eligible" - along with felons extra. We need passion not wining. We need doers, not - I would of done'ers. As far as past history, tell the families whose fathers and sons died creating it - that it wasn't taken seriously - Philosophy is the dream, and history keeps getting rewritten. We may have divisions in opinion; I am all for that - just put it on the line; take the action before you deal with the reaction. The reaction is what we all have to live with. Take responsibility and fortify your rights. How easy would it be for the 49.7 percent to become the majority? America is built on the hard conviction of freedom - conviction is a very, very passionate word, in my world
Reply #9 from PolMach Forums Top

Year

Total VAP

Total REG

Turnout

% REG

% T/O

1960

109,159,000

64,833,096

68,838,204

59.40

63.06

1964

114,090,000

73,715,818

70,644,592

66.24

61.92

1968

120,328,186

81,658,180

73,211,875

69.54

60.84

1972

140,776,000

97,328,541

77,718,554

70.84

55.21

1976

152,309,190

105,037,986

81,555,789

68.97

53.55

1980

164,597,000

113,043,734

86,515,221

68.68

52.56

1984

174,466,000

124,150,614

92,652,680

71.16

53.11

1988

182,778,000

126,379,628

91,594,693

69.15

50.11

1992

189,529,000

133,821,178

104,405,155

70.61

55.09

1996

196,511,000

146,211,960

96,456,345

74.40

49.08



Broader Voter Turnout Perspective
Reply #10 from PolMach Forums Top
You can hammer home all that you and wish to that people should vote and give them as many valid reasons as you can ever think of but it can only change people so much. Remember people are stubborn and there is alot of voter apathy out there.
Reply #11 from PolMach Forums Top
Wow - what I see are alot of people who went through the troble to regisister, but did'nt bother to vote - When I moved, I reregisterd over the Net - there were some Snail mail exchanges, but all in all - np lines -and I am registerd once again - took very little time. having said that - I REGISTERD SO I COULD VOTE - i'LL BE DANMED IF I DON'T VOTE
Reply #12 from PolMach Forums Top
I am registered to vote as well and they will have to literally kill me to stop me from voting.

I was in the Army, my father was in the Army, my Grandfathers were in the Army, my Great Grandfathers were in the Army, so I would be so damned and cursed if I don't vote.
Reply #13 from PolMach Forums Top
Remember people are stubborn and there is alot of voter apathy out there.


I know, and agree with you. I just wish it wasn't so "joe" -
Reply #14 from PolMach Forums Top
good for you Grim - Keep it up