Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior Section 4: Non-Voting Lecture Notes

Key Word:

political efficacy

1. Only about half of the eligible voters turn out in presidential elections.

2. Only about a third of eligible voters turn out in off-year elections.

3. Little-Recognized Aspects of the Problem.

a. More people vote in federal than in State and local elections.

b. In general, the farther down the ballot an office is, the fewer the number of votes that will be cast for it. This phenomenon is called "ballot fatigue."

c. Turnout is lower in off-year elections, primaries, and special elections than it is in presidential-year elections.

1. "Cannot-Voters"

a. Approximately 17 million Americans do not vote because they cannot.

b. Cannot-voters include aliens, the mentally or physically handicapped, and people in prison.

c. Some people cannot vote because their religious beliefs forbid them to participate in government.

2. Actual Nonvoters
a. Many people do not vote because they are satisfied with the political system as it is and believe that the outcome of elections will not affect them.

b. Many others do not vote because they distrust the political process and do not think hat they have any effective political power.

c. Bad weather, "time-zone fallout," and cumbersome election procedures keep some away from the polls.

3. Factors Affecting Turnout

a. Voters are most likely to be people at the higher end of the social, economic, and educational ladder, active in their communities, and who experience few cross-pressures.

b. Nonvoters are most likely to be under 35, unmarried and unskilled, and living in the South or in a rural area.

c. People with a high sense of political efficacy vote no matter what their personal background.

d. The greater the degree of candidate competition, the higher the voter turnout is likely to be.