Assignment:
Overview
Discussion we will be talking about elections and campaigns in the United States. The U.S. has had some of the lowest voter turnout in the world, and we will be exploring some of the reasons why. To help you formulate an answer, be sure to review the Exploration for this module and your e-text, on the Politics of Public Opinion and Voting and Elections. Look also at the following websites on voter turnout:
• Voting America: US Politics 1840-2008
• United States Election Project
• Pew Research Center Voter Link
• Federal Election Commission
• Voter Turnout in the 2020 Election
Instructions
• Consider the following: Overall the national turnout (of eligible voters) for the past several presidential elections had seen a gradual increase from 55% in 1996, when Bill Clinton was reelected as president, to a high of 62% in 2008 with the election of the first African American president, Barack Obama. However, turnout began to slide after Obama's first win, with turnout rates dropping to 59% in 2012 and a turnout of 60% for the 2016 presidential election of Trump. The 2020 presidential election saw a significant change, with voter turnout estimated to have reached a high of 66% of the voting eligible population as Biden was elected president.
While these turnout numbers may seem low in many people's minds, the numbers are considered fairly high when compared to the previous three to four decades when turnout barely hit 50% in some years. As the voter turnout websites for presidential elections showed, voting in presidential elections has ebbed and flowed alongside the interests of citizens in our electoral process.
• Please respond to the following questions completely: Explain whether or not you feel 66% is an acceptable turnout for electing the President of the United States. If you feel it is acceptable, tell us why. If you don't feel it is an acceptable level, tell us what could be done to improve voter turnout in the United States. What impact do political parties, the media, interest groups, Political Action Committees (PACs) and Super PACs have on the elections and what, if anything, should be done about them? Is it time to reform our campaigns and if so, what needs to change and why? Explain fully.