Which voters come out to vote on election day can provide political scientists insights into voter demographics and voting trends. Moreover, knowing who votes and how often they vote is important when politicians need to know which voters to mobilize. Also, analyzing who doesn't vote can bring up important questions such as 'how do we mobilize voters better' or 'what reasons do these people have to not vote'. Who votes more and who does not have also been weaponized by politicians to pass unfair voting restrictions and gerrymandering.
In the past few decades, turnout among women and minorities has increased significantly. Since 1984, women have voted a slightly higher rates than men. In 2016, the turnout for women was around 64% and voter turnout among men was at 60%. Statistically, women of all races vote more democratic than men (Igielnik, 2020b). Also, since 1990 African American voting has risen 9% and voting among hispanics has risen 4%. However, voting among Asian voters has stayed consistent (Krogstad et al., 2019). These increases can be attributed to fewer barriers to voting for women and racial minorities. With an increase in feminism, it is more socially accepted for women to be politically active and politicians have kept female voters active by talking about issues that pertain to them and that they want a say in. Moreover, legal barriers have been broken down for minorities. For example, the Voting Rights Act ended the use of literacy tests in 1970. The increase in voting among minority voters can also be attributed to the increase in minorities living in the United States. Looking at intersectionality, women of all races are more likely to vote blue than men, and democratic politicians need to take this into account when they want to mobilize voters.
Moreover, politicians are struggling to find ways to mobilize young voters. In 2016, people between 18-29 had a voter turnout of 46%, whereas 30-44 years old voters had a voter turnout of 58%, 45–64-year-old voters had a voter turnout of 66%, and the silent generation had a voter turnout of 70%. Moreover, there are several reasons why younger voters may not turn out at rates other voters do. One reason is that politics may not resonate with younger voters. Politicians do not address problems that concern younger voters. This also explains why young voters may gravitate to the democratic party because they focus on problems like climate change and social justice (Rosentiel, 2008). voters may not be mobilized because they have had less time to get affiliated with parties and may not know what values they have.
Some politicians have used this information for manipulative purposes. During 2021, 17 states passed strict voting laws saying they were cracking down on voting fraud. For example, some states got rid of absentee voting, restricted access to drop off boxes for ballots, and limited voting hours. Some states even prohibit giving food or drinks to voters standing in line. These measures have hurt low income and minority voters (Viebeck, 2021).
Bibliography
Krogstad, J. M., Noe-Bustamante, L., & Flores, A. (2019, May 1). Historic highs in 2018 voter turnout extended across racial and ethnic groups. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/01/historic-highs-in-2018-voter-turnout-extended-across-racial-and-ethnic-groups/
Igielnik, R. (2020b, August 18). Men and women in the U.S. continue to differ in voter turnout rate, party identification. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/18/men-and-women-in-the-u-s-continue-to-differ-in-voter-turnout-rate-party-identification/
Rosentiel, T. (2008, April 28). Gen Dems: The Party’s advantage among young voters widens. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/2008/04/28/gen-dems-the-partys-advantage-among-young-voters-widens/
Viebeck, E. (2021, June 2). Here’s where GOP lawmakers have passed new voting restrictions around the country. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/02/state-voting-restrictions/
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