What motivates us to vote in government elections and what can be done to find that motivation in the large percentage of the population that doesn't vote or doesn't vote regularly?
I find it almost incomprehensible that citizens will anxiously vote week after week, at a cost for shows like 'American Idol' and don't take the time or the initiative to vote every two years in their local, state or national elections.
I'm sure we've all heard people say "my vote doesn't make a difference" or "I didn't understand the issue..." or even "I didn't have the time". Aren't they really saying "I'm okay with someone else or the minority, dictating my life and my laws"?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau website's last compiled election year data (for 2004):
- 64.9% of U.S. Citizens over 18 were registered to vote
- 58.3% of U.S. Citizens over 18 actually voted
According to the table of data based on U.S. Citizens over 18 by age category, we find that of the 58.3% who voted:
- The lowest turnout was in the 18-24 year old range at 41.9%
- The highest turnout was in the 65-74 year old range with 70.8% voting. But it should be noted that this is also the second to lowest number of our population range.
http://www.census.gov/...
I'm very interested in how we can positively motivate people to participate in our democracy. A democracy is a growing and living thing that's constantly changing, in large or small ways, but we stunt our evolution when everyone in a free society does not participate.