Elizabeth Warren says the system is rigged for the rich. They vote way more than the poor.

The system is rigged."

It's the phrase Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has become known for — four words of populist rhetoric that warm the cockles of progressive hearts everywhere. This oft-repeated construct basically argues that government is set up to favor the rich because the rich control the process. Those without money and power are thus prevented from getting ahead by the very nature of the system.

We'll let others debate the veracity of that argument. But there appears to be one major reason the rich would get better political outcomes than the poor: They participate in the political process more. Much, much more.

And it's not just in campaign donations, which of course are going to favor the wealthy who have disposable income to give to candidates. The nation's poorest also vote at much lower levels than its richest, and generally aren't as politically inclined. And the poorer you are, the less involved you are.

Courtesy of Pew, here's the political participation rates of people relative to how financially secure they are (broken down into five categories):



These numbers are pretty remarkable. While 63 percent of the most financially secure Americans were likely voters in the 2014 election, just 20 percent of the least financially secure were. And the decline in voting frequency is consistent as you get less and less financially secure. In fact, the decline on each of these measures is consistent as you move along (and down) the financial spectrum.

More here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/09/elizabeth-warren-says-the-system-is-rigged-for-the-rich-they-vote-way-more-than-the-poor/