Why Do People Choose to Vote or Not to Vote? Research Paper Example

Introduction

2008 saw one the most historical elections of our generation. The voter turnout was the highest it has ever been, with the young and the minority vote at its all-time highest since polling data has been collected. The 2008 Presidential Election saw many historical firsts that was not repeated in the 2012 election. Instead, voter turnout was dramatically lower. Data shows that 13 million fewer people voted less in 2012 than in 2008. [1] People choose to vote based on a past history that was fought to vote, while exercising their duties, and people choose not to vote because they feel they do not matter in the overall scheme of democracy. “Voting has become a virtually universal means by which individuals make collective decisions.” [2]This paper will provide arguments to explore why voters vote which encircles past history, a duty, making a difference, and other reasons. By first looking at the history of voting, the presidential election, and analyzing voting behavior, we will be able to form a critical argument which provides factual reasons in which voters choose to vote or not to vote.

Reasons Why People Choose to Vote

People choose to vote because some see it as an obligation, not a choice. Voting in the election rather local or national is a part of the democratic process that helps the governments and society function. Those that choose to vote have a say in whom they want to become their representation. They get to make an informed vote based on information that they deemed necessary to know, and cast their votes.[3]  Instead of letting a select few choose who will be the leaders, people can make their own individual choices. Those that feel they are too busy have options of mail in ballot or early voting. While the problems of voter fraud and error are problem, technology is constantly advancing in order to help solve the problem and make it an easier process. People that choose to vote support the democratic framework that many people have died and fought for. People that choose to vote know that there are millions in the country that are not allowed to. Voting rights were acquired at great costs that many paraded up and down the streets, beaten, arrested, and killed so further generations could have the freedom to vote. To the older generation that comes out in droves in votes, it is a remembrance of what their parents and some they fought for, for a long time and an obligation to the generation after them to continue to exercise their freedom. Voting to the largely older generation is a sign of commitment and duty that gives reverence to those generations that fought for equality across color lines and gender. More critically choosing to vote is a pledge to continue to progress towards a social change and not go back to repeat the past.

The people that do choose to vote help to reinforce the central and local governments. By voters participating in the electoral process, they are holding the candidates accountable for their actions or lack thereof. In like the decision of Bush, the people did not want to elect another Republican Party, because of the damage that the Bush administration did to the county. [4]  When people ignore the ballots they miss out on key democratic changes, such as the rights for gay marriage, marijuana legalization, medical marijuana, and other pertinent passages that would not have happened if voters would not have come an exercise their right to vote. People that choose to vote have several reasons that center around the question of why not? By casting a vote for a president, or deciding laws in the local campaign do any harm, but instead do something positive for the community? These are questions that those who choose to vote asks because they know if no one votes, then it would be best if the right to vote was taken and those in office could vote. It is essentially the same thing, by giving up something willingly, they will take it unwillingly.

History of Voting and Why People Vote

Voting behavior is largely indebted to the history of voting in the United States and the how it reflects on the present system. The most prominent decision of why voting is essential in voting decision up until present times has a lot to do with the history of America. The past history of voting is one of the main reasons in which people still vote today in remembrance and duty of those many years ago fought so hard to achieve. The democratic system in the United States has not always been the land of the free and opened for people to cast their liberated vote. Instead voting was only held to the elite of society, and those that owned land. There are at present still circumstances and imperfections in Americas voting system in which does not give people the liberation of casting their vote.  The voting systems has evolved over the course of American history, and it was with the passage and the ratification of the 14^th amendment where society started to evolved. However, it was with the passage of the 15^th amendment where the doors finally opened for most Americans to participate in part of society, and political process where their voice could be heard.

The history of voting goes back to the early days in which America was formed. One of the first voting events was when the first settlers set up their permanent settlement, they conducted an election with an unsealed box with a list of seven men picked to be on the council.[5]From that secret election was the president and the council sworn in.From the start of the American civilization, the right to vote was central to only a handful of selected individuals. Only through time did this number grow to incorporate those that had a direct influence in the government. They American democracy was originally “borrowed” from the English practice, but through the experiences of the American people was the democracy refined about who can be able to vote.

Throughout the settlement of the 13 colonies the voting rights slowly expanded going into the 18^th century.[6]The typical makeup of the votes were generally male, white property owners that were at least 21 and older. According to Alexander Keyssar, “At its birth, the United States was not a democratic nation—far from it. The very word “democracy” had pejorative overtones, summoning up images of disorder, government by the unfit, even mob rule.”[7]At the time, less than half of the population was able to participate, and the most that were excluded were the African slaves, women, poor men, white men that did not own land, and the Native Americans. In some areas throughout the colonies, it was not just a matter or race, gender, or class but also religion.

It was not until the American Revolution in which people were ready for a reform of the voting system, and the entire democracy. With the establishment and the creation of the Constitution, there was a hot debate on who exactly has the rights to vote. The debate shifted from extending voting rights to the dispute on establishing property requirements. Land ownerships were a testament that a man could vote in those times, so the extension on what is considered property was highly importantly. The Constitution at the time of creation did not clearly justify the voting rights;instead they decided that it was upheld by the law of the state. According to historians however, “by not addressing the suffrage issue more broadly, the Constitution’s authors fostered a long-running battle over voting right.”[8]  One of the major breaks that chipped away at the ideology of the white, male superiority, was the passage of the14^th amendment which saw that all persons that were naturalized or bon in the United States were citizens. More importantly, “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” [9]

The American government took another step in the right direction with the ratification of the 15^thamendment whichsaw, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”[10] This was extremely important which extended the franchise to include non-white males that were usually the only party that was able to cast a vote. The ratification of the 15^th amendment was not without its recourse as several members of the government debated the rights of former slaves. 1869 saw the abolishment of slavery, and the “right” given to award the former slaves equal protection and citizenship under the laws. The amendment was not taken at face value, and for almost a century the courts narrowly interpreted the amendment that discriminated against many African American voters with literacy tests, and poll taxes. The white voters however, where not subject to these discriminatory acts thanks in part to a “grandfather clause”, and groups such as lynch mobs, and the Ku Klux Klan that helped to suppress the African American voter participation.

It was not until the 20^th century that the courts were starting to interpret the amendment more broadly by dismantling the poll taxes and literacy test, however the states found ways around the ruling of the cases. In several instances, states and other groups have tried to prohibit the rights of African Americans from voting, from instituting in their state laws that only whites could vote in the primaries, gerrymandering, and other unlawful voting qualifications. These qualifications were not just held to African Americans but other non-white minorities as well. It was not until the Supreme Court acted with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson,did African Americans as well as others receive voting racial equality, an essential reasons why many African American make it their duty to vote.

Not to forget the women, but they also had to fight for their right to vote. This has largely been a reason in which more women tend to vote more than men. The voting behavior of women has grown significantly in the last decade. As more present issues of women’s rights plays out in legislations across the country. In the past, women were not allowed to vote in any election since the forming of the United States. In some small exceptions colonies allowed women to vote, however, they were small exceptions to the rules, which saw women could not handle the pressure.“…the men of the era conceived of as the delicate nature of women and their inability to deal with the coarse realities of politics…”[11]Moved toward the 19^th century, Fredrick Douglas spearheaded a convention that declared that one of the injustices that needed a plan of action was for the women rights movements. Some of the most prominent figures in the women’s suffrage movement join with African Americans. In order to form a union of which was dedicated to giving women and African Americans the right to vote.With the passage of the 14^th and 15^th amendments, women were still left out. At the time, Native Americans were also not allowed to vote, because during the passage of the 14^th amendment they were not considered citizens. The Dawes Act of 1887 stipulated that Native Americans would only be granted citizenship if they renounce their tribal heritage.[12]Throughout the 30 year period, countless women and rights activists protests and spearheaded marches throughout the nation’s capital and New York in order to get the government to pass the law. Finally, the 19^thamendment passed in 1920 that granted women the right to vote in both federal and state elections.

The voting behaviors of many that choose to vote, boils down to past history transgressions. The passage f non-whites and women was a major success for voting, and a duty that has been felt several decades later, as seniors are one the highest populations of votes because of their dedication to the voting. Young people have had their voice in the voting system, and have fought for their change to vote as the voting system was extended with the passage of the 26^th amendment in 1971 that allowed for those 18 to vote. Other minorities were affected by the passage of laws covering voting rights as well including immigrants that were naturalized, Latinos, Asians, and other minorities that were not allowed to vote. The Voting Right Acts helps to protect the poor from having to pay poll taxes, and those that might have disabilities with literacy or competency tests. President Clinton passing the National Voter Registration Act helped to increase the voter registration by over 2 million, which largely consisted of young and minority voters. Other voting rights extended to those serving in the military overseas, or living on bases in the United States with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.  In a nutshell, the voting system in American has significantly progressed into an overall positive direction that has rid itself of the racially and discriminatory charged stigma that has come about from the influence of social change.While discussing its progression there is still considerable room for improvement as there are still members of the society that are disenfranchised.

Literature Review

The overview of the history of the voting system and rights in the United States paints clear picture to understand why most citizens choose to vote. It is clear that in regional or local elections that voterscould possibly have a bigger impact. However, on a larger scale, many potential voters feel that their vote does not count. The reason that many voters choose not to vote involves their lack of knowledge, or misrepresentation of facts of the process. This is mainly due to the misconceptions of the electorate college.  John Zaller in The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (1992) says, “Election campaigns are attempts by competing partisan elites to reach citizens with political communications and persuade them to a point of view.” [13]As he further elaborates the election campaigns are simply attempts at competing political parties to shape the public opinion, and test how well they can influence them to vote for their opinion.  People choose not to vote because they do not wish to participate in a process in which no one seems to be the winner. This is iterated in several literature and research. Although this can be easily refuted, the voting behavior in the last decade has largely dwindled overall, except in few exceptions.

The problems that plague the voting system greatly influence people’s decision not to vote. Voters must register every year or the year of the election to be eligible to vote. Some of the attitudes of some voters is they feel that the registration process is too difficult, or some that register such as immigrants or homeless do not have the proper identification which it makes difficult to exercise their right. In most places, there are groups that help in the registration process that mostly cater to students, elderly, and those that might have a language barrier. In the past, there have been several problems with polling places.Some discriminatory acts stillpersists which looks to turn away potential voters. The polling places used paper or electronic ballots that are then tallied up and reported to the counting place.  The voting equipment has been flawed in several cases and has been a part of presidential scandal including the 2000 Presidential election between AL Gore and George Bush.

The votes are then reported to the Electoral College, which with this information places their vote. The Electoral College works to cast the vote for the president after making the condition that it will cast the vote that the majority of the state or area voted for. Electoral College can however run on the popular vote or through the votes determined by the people, it is however up to their own discretion.Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Election, the authors choose to clarify from the Constitution, “in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct.”[14] The Electorate College is an archaic system that was implemented due to the number of uninformed voters, whom the government feared would make bad electoral decisions. With the amount of information on the candidates and the exposure that they receive during the election campaigns, one can conclude that Electoral Colleges have served their purpose. The authors agree that this is a critical reasons why so many Americans feel that they cannot trust the democratic system since they feel as though the system can make their own decision on presidency.

The problem and the question of accuracy and confidence are what voters question when going to the ballots. The voting system seems to have major flaws in its process which turns many voters away in the upcoming elections. Take for instance the inconsistencies with voter’s equipment, the attempts by state’s legislation to put voting restrictions in order to disenfranchise democratic voters that are largely minorities, young adults, or the elderly. In order to under the choice of the voter to vote or not, we must first look at the elements of the voting system. Already discussed is the history, but now a closer look at the voter process. When a voter enters their decisions they see a list of candidates that take different sides or parties. This lies the first element into understand the voter’s perspective is their lack of perception or understanding of the candidates. Lewis-Black writes in The American Voter Revisited (2009) that, “Like Plato’s cave-dwellers, some voters glimpse only flickering shadows of these objects, especially if they are complicated issues of policy.”[15] The voter’s mind is simply guided by what they can and cannot perceive is a difference in what the voter decides to do. Lewis-Black believes that voters are guided by the characters or their own perceptions of the candidates in a positive or negative manner. Each is subjective to their own assessment, those that have a positive perception will vote for that candidate and vice versa.

The two parties are seen, “has imposed a bipolar structure on this evaluative dimension, where being favorable to one party (or its candidate) means being unfavorable to the opposing party (candidate).”[16] Unlike voters fifty years ago, most voters today identify with a political party that falls into the lines of Democrat or Republican. There is still room for independent parties, but a majority voter’s side with the two political parties. The party identification is something that remain constant throughout their lifecycle as it shapes much of their political opinion. [17]In most cases as, Classics in Voting Behavior points out, the party identification is influenced by the parent’s affiliation, and can form in childhood or early adolescence.[18] Those that are younger have less loyalty than those that are older and stick with their party identification. Voting is a psychological factor in which voter’s attitudes and behaviors towards certain factors of the political process are comprise of a “field of forces” that determine voters’ actions.[19]

One of the big examples of how perception and the campaign parties have influenced many voters not to vote is from the result of the 2000 Presidential Election of George Bush and Al Gore. Still a disputed election, however, it was largely aided by the lack of the incumbent’s party to control the lack of economic boom that had a negative reaction to the Democratic Party.[20] In the perception of the voter external forces such as the economy has played a major part in deciding the political party to preside in government. In the cases of FDR, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton each benefited from economic recovery, however the incumbent’s parties did not. In the case of George Bush again in the 2004 Presidential Election against John Kerry, war has a profound impact on the perception of voters’ as well. “Even within the domain of war and peace, ill-feelings about that war trumped any good feelings about the other war (on terrorism).” [21] The perception of Bush was more favorable than Kerry’s as most voters at the time saw him as unfit to lead during our time of war, and thought he was weak and indecisive. More essentially the election of President Obama was seen as a stamp of disapproval on Bush and his party that resided in the White for 8 years. The group characteristics of certain groups helps to influence the voting choice because of the similar social factors that motivate the political interests.[22]Abramson et al, makes note of this by displaying that the voting behavior of African Americans was shaped by the Civil War, which was tied to the political party of Lincoln.[23] Just like politicians recognize to win the election they must cater to certain social groups that have supported the party in the past. This can be evident in looking at the voting turnout data.

Looking at the psychological and external forces that could have impacted voters’ attitude was the war in Afghanistan, and the mishandling of the economic and issues that result from the terrorist attack. In the 2004 Election, voters did not see Kerry as being able to effectively run the country and handle the war. At the time, people were content with letting Bush stay in office one more term, but after the war in Iraq was still a major dilemma, the majority of the American people were hoping for someone new. Obama during his presidency promised that he would close Guantanamo Bay, and that he would get all the troops out of the Middle East.  McCain on the other hand was a party to the incumbent and was proposing unpopular terms such as tax increases and opposed reproductive rights. [24] Obama was also proposing an overhaul of the healthcare system, in favor of reproduction rights, equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, and other popular terms. Obama did his best to link McCain to Bush, and therefore put him on the sinking ship with the rest of the political party which saw much of the disproval over the war, and the economy.

Even with the disapproval and attitudes of nonvoters, voting is the right thing to do. One essential factor is that voting is necessary to the progression of society. It is used throughout the world in several sectors, governments, legislatures, and other avenues that are pertinent. Voting has become a signature of a democracy in which people feel they take part in determining the actions of the government, and have a hand in electing people to represent them. It is no doubt that examining the behavior of voters is critical in contributing to the literature on political systems and perceptions. It is also a study on how well does voters understanding the voting process, and how did they perceive the political parties, by choosing which side comes out on top. In looking at who decides to vote or not, there are certain elements that must be broken down to study the behavior. This includes three theoretical perspectives outlined in Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections(2012), viewed in social groups, looking at social characteristics determining political preferences. The second approach involves psychological variables to focus on variables that might have the greatest impact on deciding on which candidate. The third approach is looking towards economics, where voters weigh the costs against the benefits of deciding whom to vote for.[25] Although these approaches came be justifiable there are still other factors that combine all three approaches, and must be considered when analyzing voting behavior.

Recent Voter TurnoutIn Voter Decision

In the following election, the voting behavior seemed to improve. For the historical election in 2008, 212 million individuals casted their vote for Barack Obama to win the presidency.[26]What is being studied is that before this election, the voter turnout had been decreasing since the 70s. Having slightly rose in ‘84 during the war, but afterwards including in 1996 voting participation fell to its lowest level since 1952.[27]Even with intense mobilization by groups targeting young people to vote, it only rose a minuscule percentage, and in 2004, it only rose four percent. According to history, there has been a gradual increase in the voting participation, until it began to decline in the middle of the century.

The social groups for the historical 2008 election saw that a reported 131 million people cast their vote.This was an increase of over 5 million people than the previous election. Broken down into social groups saw an increase of 2 million Hispanics and blacks, over 600,000 Asian voter, and the number non-whites statistically remained the same.[28]The election of the first African American presidential candidate had an increase in minorities, more than in the previous election between Kerry and Bush. The following turnout once again in 2012 showed an increase with minority voters however, the overall voter turnout decreased by over 10 million people.  According to the Census Bureau’s voting report for the 2012 election, it saw that the African American turnout far exceeded the white voter turnout of a rate of 66.2 percent by 64.1 percent.[29]This can be attributed to the presence of an African American president that helps to draw other African Americans to vote for them. Other data showed that Hispanics was far below whites, and blacks, as compared to the 2008 election fell 2 percent. Many felt that the boom in the Latino population growth would attribute to a turnout in the election, however, on a recorded dozen million are eligible to vote. [30] In other demographics or social groups, the voter turnout for the youth also declined from 2008 at nearly 7 percent. Compared to older adults aged 65 and over saw their turnout increase.

From this data, it seems that the voter behavior of youth, minorities, and older people changed from 2008 to 2012. In some cases, they increased as the case for African Americans and the older voters, or they decreased as the case with Hispanics and the youth. In determining the voter behavior we go back to determining the three approaches combined to look an overall theoretical cause of why voter behavior changes, and how does one decide whether or not to vote.  When looking at the voter behavior, it must be made clear that voter system always has a clear dominant party. “Despite competitive elections a single party is consistently at the center of political power.”[31]Voters will majority vote for the party affiliation that they most identify with, or was raised to identify with. Pointed out earlier in the paper, that party identification is groomed in early adolescence and childhood from family influence.[32]Other factors also contribute that is seen in the difference between the 2008 and 2012 elections were that older people over 65 usually voted in large percentages.

Youth are much less likely to vote, and less likely to be involved in politics. This is particularly why the state of social security and Medicare will remain a crisis, because the elderly are unwilling to change the policies, even though the younger generation will suffer. Other factors include education where more people with a college degree will vote, as the voter participation increases as education rises.[33] Socioeconomic status contributes significantly, people that have higher income will also vote more than those that earn less than $20,000 a year. Women like minorities vary, as women will vote more than men although they are greatly misrepresented, and minorities will vote less than whites, and are generally underrepresented as well.[34]  African Americans only represent 8 percent in the House of Representatives, and 1 percent in the Senate. For women, they have 14 female Senators and 70 representatives. Those that did vote are wholly underrepresented and voted for a minority that they thought would change the racial and social makeup of the White House.

Why Choosing to Vote is the Right Decision

In making the argument for the reasons why people choose to vote, it is clear that the decision to vote is the best. There are several arguments that can be attributed to not voting which including social, education, income, gender, race, or lack of motivation. However, there are several factual reasons in which people feel the need not to vote. One of the biggest factors is that people feel that their vote does not count. This is once again going back to the Electoral College that generally selects the President. [35]The Electoral College candidate is determined by voters, so the vote does count, unless there are problems with the polling machine. Another reason is that many feel that they are too busy to vote, they have to work late or early, children, school, or etc. This is a valid reason in some cases,however there is a lot of ways in which voting can be implemented including mail in ballad, and early voting. Mentioned above that many minorities and elderly struggle with is understanding the voter registration information, some feel that is too difficult to understand, and with the new voting laws in place, having the right identification can deter some from registering. Some voters choose not to vote because they are lazy or too apathetic to want to get involved with candidates that sling mud at each.[36] People will often ignore the process because they do not like either of the candidates. Other choose not to wait in the long lines, and others just cannot get to the polling place. These excuses can easily be refuted with a little information and education, but they do influence some voters to not vote in the elections.

While taking this approach seems fair to conclude that there are certain factors that contribute to the decisions of voters there are also bigger problems.Even through the progression and those that are still disenfranchise, the election process itself is not without its problems. The voting system has several amendments that protect people fundamental rights to participate in elections, however, states are making it increasingly difficult to exercise those rights when they create laws that will ultimately disenfranchise a select few. The geography of polling places does affect voting behavior, this issue coupled with low socioeconomic status, and age will make it increasingly difficult for some to get to polling places on time. The media haveconsiderable influence in the way the campaign and the candidate come across. [37]

Media more presently tends to overexpose and play a bias towards candidates that they favor. The debates that presidential candidates’ debate in gets shown on local stations, discussed on the news, and on social media. When candidates have a past, it is usually exposed. Their behaviors that are depicted to be callous or mudslinging are a turnoff for some potential voters. While the media are there to inform, the media also does a good job of misinforming the voters on the issues that the voter backs. When the media display negative information about the candidate, than the voter’s perception is formedto not vote for the candidate.[38] The role in the media, as far as campaigning, advertisements, and other propaganda do influence voter behaviors, but according to statistics mainly to voters that are undecided, or uninformed.The candidates seem more into cutting the other candidate down, that it can make people apathetic to either side, and do not want to make a decision of the “lesser of the two evils.”

When determining why people choose to not vote, is determined by the voter weighing the costs and benefits. When people choose to vote, they feel that the benefits of voting outweigh the costs. They try to rationalize that they vote is a waste and that they rather wait for local elections. People sometimes do not feel that their vote will count, because they do not feel like they count.In a Congress that does not adequately represent the population of the United States, it can be seen psychological factor that affects the voting behavior of millions of people. In a country where over 6 million felons are not allowed to vote because of problems dating back to the lousy criminal system, to the states not allowing them to vote, they are not allow to lend their voice. The 11.2 illegal immigrants are not allowed to vote as well, and those that are homeless are finding more difficult to let their voice be heard.  This was extenuated by the election in 2000 in which thousands if, not millions of votes were not counted because of the legal system.[39] The result of the 2000 election alienated many people and perpetuated the idea that the election is decided by a group of elite individuals instead of by the people. If the courts would not count the vote, why should people cast them?The people that cannot vote do not count. They do not count in the Census, they do not count in the voting process. So people that can vote choose not to, because they feel that their one voice would not amount to any change.

Conclusion

When people choose not to vote there are consequences where a fair democracy cannot be sustained. When voters do not vote for not only candidates butcrucial issues that are placed on the ballots than they are not letting their voice be heard. When no one speaks up, nothing can get done. It is enough to tell people that do not vote that they cannot complain because they did not participate in the process of voting. While people do have the right to vote, people are choosing not to exercise it, it would be wrong to take away the right to vote and let a group of elite individuals decide, but it would wrong to force people to vote too. The voting data from the last election is not the only indication that the attitudes of voters can change depending on each election, it was only a century ago when women were given a right to vote and not until 40 years later that African Americans were given the right to vote. Voting has its privileges, and it also has it downsides. The popular belief is that peoples’ votes do not count, and the media or the electorate colleges are the ones that picked the president. Why this statement is half true, the votes of Americans do count, and the history of people fighting for the right to vote is evident of how valuable voting is.

In the United States today there are several restrictions on who has the right to vote. The imperfection of the voting system is mirrored in the effects of not letting certain members of society be a part of the democracy system, in which the foundation of America has used to dictate and form the nation to what it is. Those that have been incarcerated, those of a certain age, and nationality are not able to cast a vote. In some areas more specifically the south, politicians have set up several more barriers that stop people from casting their votes, to setting up limits to early voting, identification, and other restrictions that put the focus on minority voters, miscounted votes, and barriers to language. Even with the problems that still persist today, the voting system was decidedly different from it was over 200 years ago, and certainly how it was less than 100 years ago. Those that choose to vote do so out of civic duty, remembrance, and to continue to voice their opinions on their democratic system for change.

America has overcome several missteps, hardships, and a past filled with horrible act of brutality and discrimination that paints the picture of an imperfect system. However, through social change, laws were able to be created to change the course of history. From the beginning of American settlement, voting was essential in the colonies, until the 19^th century, voting was limited to just white, male, landowners, but slowly people demanded more. People wanted to freed slaves, African Americans and women wanted the write to vote. Minorities wanted the rights to vote. Through time, women and all citizens of the United States were able to exercise their write to take part in the fundamental democratic system that allows for people to make an inform decision on who will represent them. Voting is an essential part of democracy in which that is impacted by several psychological factors that influences if people choose to vote or not.

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[1] Leahy, Michael Patrick 2012. 2012 Turnout Dramatically Lower Than 2008. Brett Bart. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/07/2012-Turnout-Dramatically-Lower-Than-2008

[2] Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Norporth, Helmut. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press. 2009.

[3]Zaller, John. R. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. Cambridge University Press. 1992.

[4]Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Norporth, Helmut. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press. 2009.

[5] Crews, Ed. 2007. Voting in Early America. History. http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/spring07/elections.cfm

[6]Ibid.

[7]Ibid.

[8]Ibid.

[9]14^th Amendment. (2013). Legal Law Institute. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv

[10]15^th Amendment. (2013). Legal Information Institute. www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxv

[11]Crews, Ed. 2007. Voting in Early America. History.http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/spring07/elections.cfm

[12] U.S Voting Rights. 2013. Info Please. http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html

[13]Zaller, John.  The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. Cambridge University Press. 1992. Pg. 217.

[14]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[15]Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Norporth, Helmut. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press. 2009.

[16] Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Norporth, Helmut. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press. 2009.

[17]Ibid. pg. 424.

[18]Niemi, Richard G., Weisberg, Herbert F.  Classics in Voting Behavior. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1993.

[19]Ibid. pg. 144

[20]Ibid. pg. 422.

[21] Ibid. pg. 422.

[22]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[23]Ibid. pg. 64

[24]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[25]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[26]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[27]Ibid. pg. 36.

[28] Voter Turnout Increases by 5 million in 2008 Presidential Election, U.S Census Bureau Reports. 2009. http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/voting/cb09-110.html

[29] Taylor, Paul, Lopez, Mark Hugo. Six take-a ways from the Census Bureau’s Voting Report. Pew Research. 2013. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/08/six-take-aways-from-the-census-bureaus-voting-report/

[30]Ibid.

[31]Abramison, Paul. R. Aldrich, John H., Rohde, David. W. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. SAGE. 2011.

[32]Niemi, Richard G., Weisberg, Herbert F.  Classics in Voting Behavior. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1993.

[33] Voting Behavior. Boundless. 2012. https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-government/the-u-s-political-system/voting-behavior/

[34]Ibid.

[35]Niemi, Richard G., Weisberg, Herbert F.  Classics in voting behavior. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1993.

[36]Niemi, Richard G., Weisberg, Herbert F.  Classics in voting behavior. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1993.

[37]Zaller, John. R. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. Cambridge University Press. 1992.

[38] Ibid.

[39] Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Norporth, Helmut. The American Voter Revisited. University of Michigan Press. 2009.