After every major election , Americans are beaten over the head with the bad news that voter turnout rates in the U.S. are some of the speculative in the developed mankind . The fact are unchallenged : Of the 34 industrialized country with democratic elections , the U.S. ranks 31st in voter turnout , one spot behind Slovenia . Ouch .
But statistics can be shoddy . genuine , in the 2012 general election , only 53.6 per centum of the American “ voting age population ” — U.S. citizens 18 or older — mould a voting for United States President . That ’s super low when compared to countries like Belgium and Turkey , where elector turnout was 89.37 percentage and 86.64 percent severally in their most recent general election .
But compare the U.S. to Belgium and Turkey is like compare apples to french nipper , orwhatever they call them in Belgium . That ’s becausevoting is compulsoryin Belgium , Turkey and 24 other land worldwide . In Belgium , nonstarter to vote is penal by a stiff amercement , and duplicate nonvoters can be stripped of their rightfield to vote and barred from government jobs .
In the U.S. , ballot is 100 percent voluntary , which helps explain why only 53.6 percent of folk do it . But that ’s not the only misleading statistic .
Maybe It ’s the Registration procedure
The next issue is using the “ voting long time universe ” or VAP as the baseline figure for calculating voter siding . In the 2008 general election , for example , more than 225 million Americans were eligible to vote . That ’s the VAP . Since only 131 million masses voted , the voter turnout for 2008 was calculated as 64 per centum — high for a U.S. election , but still down in the mouth compared to other countries .
But we ’re drop an authoritative detail here . Of those 225 million eligible voters , only 146 million were really show tovote(71 pct ) . When you separate the number of elector ( 131 million ) by the numeral of file voters ( 146 million ) , you get a U.S. voter turnout rate of 89.7 percent . Whoa .
Looking back at thevoter getup data of the 34 most - break countries , the state that range close to the U.S. in abysmal voter turnout — Canada , Slovenia , Japan and Chile — have almost identical figure for both “ percentage of voter long time population ” and “ percentage of registered voter . ” In America , however , there ’s a 36 - pointedness gap between the elector sidetrack Book of Numbers for percentage of VAP and share of registered voters .
Why the huge dispute ? It ’s simple : The U.S. makes people record to vote . Voter enrollment is automaticin commonwealth like France ( 71.2 pct ) and Sweden ( 82.6 percentage ) , and some voting right proponent argue that it should be robotlike in the U.S. , too . information shows that when Americans are register to vote , they vote ! Under the current system , voter registration places one more roadblock between U.S. voters and the vote box .
Or mayhap , There Are Too Many Elections
But is the enrollment upshot significant enough to explain why U.S. voters lag so far behind other industrialized country ? Not really , saysSteven Taylor , chair of the Political Science Department at Troy University in Alabama . For Taylor , a big job is “ ballot tiredness . ”
“ In the U.S. , we have lots of elections ; arguably too many election , ” says Taylor . “ If you look at a parliamentary system of rules like France , they ’re not voting in local , country , county and city elections , and they ’re not start out a balloting that ’s two or three or 10 varlet long . ”
One could contend that more choices and more elections equals a more democratic system , says Taylor , but at some decimal point elector get overwhelmed with the constant flow of boob tube advert and road signs and but stop paying tending . Even experts are n’t immune from data overburden and conclusion fatigue .
“ I have a PhD in political science and I study elections , ” laughs Taylor , “ and I would be hard - pressed to secern you right now who I voted for in the last election and if I ’m happy with what they ’re doing . ”
Other excuses reasonswhy the U.S. voting rate is so low :
America holds elections on Tuesdays , a study day , while most other countries vote on Sunday
America disenfranchises criminal for life — the only highly-developed land with such a punitory practice
Most U.S. electionsaren’t very competitive
America does n’t let teenagers vote — in Brazil and Austria , 16 - year - olds can vote
