Political Participation Who Votes? And Who Do They Vote For?

Where Does Information Come From? Political scientists do not have actual data on either voter turnout or vote choice Political scientists do not have actual data on either voter turnout or vote choice Australian Ballot Australian Ballot Most of what we know about turnout and vote choice come from either surveys or exit polls Most of what we know about turnout and vote choice come from either surveys or exit polls

Surveys One question many election surveys ask is whether the respondent intends to vote (if before the election) or whether the respondent actually voted (if after the election) One question many election surveys ask is whether the respondent intends to vote (if before the election) or whether the respondent actually voted (if after the election) Misreport problem Misreport problem “Social desirability” “Social desirability”

Exit Polls Polls conducted at voting locations to collect better information about voters Polls conducted at voting locations to collect better information about voters Pollster randomly asks voters to fill out brief questionnaires Pollster randomly asks voters to fill out brief questionnaires These questionnaires ask questions about vote choice as well as many questions about demographics These questionnaires ask questions about vote choice as well as many questions about demographics

Fundamental Paradox of Participation Higher education leads to higher participation Higher education leads to higher participation Americans are more educated today than they were in the past Americans are more educated today than they were in the past Higher registration leads to higher participation Higher registration leads to higher participation More Americans are registered to vote More Americans are registered to vote *** Why has turnout declined? *** Why has turnout declined?

Impact of Voter Turnout Elderly voters turn out at the highest rate Elderly voters turn out at the highest rate Social Security Social Security Medicare Medicare Young voters turn out at the lowest rate Young voters turn out at the lowest rate “Young” issues are neglected at the expense of others “Young” issues are neglected at the expense of others “20 Million Loud” “20 Million Loud”

Demographic Factors and Vote Choice 2000 Election Exit Polls 2000 Election Exit Polls ls/US/P000.html ls/US/P000.html ls/US/P000.html ls/US/P000.html

Increasing Voter Turnout Should we increase voter turnout? Should we increase voter turnout? How could we increase voter turnout? How could we increase voter turnout?