1. Voting
October 31, 2017

2. U.S. Voter Participation
Percentage turnout of eligible voters.

3. Factors Affecting Turnout
The most important factors affecting voter turnout:
Psychological engagement
Voter mobilization
Factors Affecting Turnout

4. Psychological Engagement
People vote when they are interested in elections and election outcomes.
Turnout in 2008 was at its highest level in more than 40 years.
Massive voter mobilization effort
Interest in the election was at a high
Turnout fell off a bit in Do the data in the chart predict a turnout decline?
Psychological Engagement

5. Who is more likely to vote? Why?
The folks on the right, of course. People engaged with policy issues are more likely to vote than couch potatoes.

6. Which party felt better about these data heading into the 2016 election?

7. Voter mobilization is the process of motivating citizens to vote
Voter mobilization is the process of motivating citizens to vote. Although some people are self-starters, the likelihood that individuals will vote increases if those individuals are asked to participate.
Voter Mobilization

8. Midterm Election Turnout
There is a significant drop-off between presidential and midterm elections.
Midterm Election Turnout *
* Based on Voting Age Population (VAP)

9. Composition of Electorate
The smaller midterm electorate skews toward older white voters and that helps Republicans.
Composition of Electorate

10. Younger voters who typically support Democrats are much less likely to vote in the midterm. Older voters turn out in equal numbers regardless of the election.
Voter Turnout by Age

11. Even though Democrats won presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, Republicans made major gains at the state level and in the U.S. House and Senate in 2010 and In 2016, Democrats gained a few seats in the House and Senate despite losing the presidency.

12. Turnout Patterns

13. Turnout by income level
Why do higher-income groups vote at a greater rate than lower-income groups?
Turnout by income level
Republicans
Who likes these data more—Democrats or Republicans?

14. Why are turnout rates higher for women than for men?
Turnout by Gender

15. Turnout--Age and Gender
Explain this chart. What is the turnout rate for younger adults? Middle-aged adults? Older adults? Why the differences?
Turnout--Age and Gender
Who likes the age data more—Democrats or Republicans?
Republicans

16. Turnout by Race Republicans ez/timeline
Turnout for every group except African Americans declined in Anyone what to speculate as to why African American turnout actually rose?
Who likes the data more—Democrats or Republicans?

17. About what percentage of Americans vote in presidential elections?
Has turnout been rising or falling?
What factors affect participation?
How does midterm turnout compare with presidential election turnout? Which party benefits from the different turnout levels?
What patterns of participation do turnout data reveal?
What You Have Learned