It Is Likely That Four Out Of Ten People You Know Will Not Vote - Who Are They?

There is a lot of discussion on this board about trying to convince lifelong Republicans to vote Democrat. Now, while this admirable, the fact of the matter is that voter turnout has never exceeded 40% since 1968. FORTY PERCENT. This is an election that will be decided by a single digit margin, yet a whopping 40% of people will not even vote in the upcoming election!

So, who are they? Can we convince this sometimes silent majority to vote, and to vote for the Democrats?

I would guess that many people do not vote for the following reasons:

1. People are disgusted with politics - The added benefit of GOP attack style politics is that even it convinces some people not to vote Republican, it also convinces people simply not to vote because they hate politics, and don't think there vote really makes a difference.

2. Voters cannot get to the polls do to work and family obligations - These people may plan to vote, but family or work obligations get in the way. We need to educate democrats to vote early as possible, and to take advantage of laws that give employees leave to vote. Of course, will a Wal-Mart be flexible in scheduling employees to allow them to vote?

3. Voters want to vote, but lack transportation - This may be the elderly or poor who depend on public transportation to vote.

So, what about you? We all seem to know Republicans. Do you personally know the four out of ten people who simply will not vote?

At least where I am, that's true.

Also, just want to add the following article on why some people fail to vote:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_many_people_fail_to_exercise_the_right_to_vote_today

Why do many people fail to exercise the right to vote today?

Answer
Why People Do Not Vote:

Personal Cost --> what does it cost you to vote (not monetary)
Ex: A single mother who has 7 children is not likely to vote, because the effort to find a baby-sitter let alone find the time to go vote is more than it may be worth, her personal cost is her time and effort.

Outcome = the same whether or not you vote --> many people feel like their vote does not matter and does not effect the overall outcome; based on that, the feel like why should I even vote then.

Mobilization --> Political Parties are not a good at mobilizing voters as they once were. This is in part because of the laws that have been passed to prevent voter fraud, the Australian Ballot (i.e. the secret ballot), as well as reforms such as making political machines illegal.

Felons or the Mentally-incompetant cannot vote --> In some states felons can apply to get their voting rights back, in other's they can never vote again. But if an individual is a convicted felon or diagnosed as mentally-incompetant, he or she cannot vote.

Over 30% of people who are of voting age (18 or older) are not registered. --> If you aren't registered, you can't vote. As for why people aren't registered, one explanation is that the registration system is more complicated and difficult than it used to be. This is due to legislation passed to cut down on voter fraud. Also going back to number 2, if people don't feel like their vote counts, they logical thought would be something to the extent of: "Why bother taking the time to vote if it doesn't matter? And if I'm not going to vote, why bother even trying to register to vote; it would be rather pointless to do so.

Voting Day is on a Tuesday --> Most Americans have jobs which they must attend to and take responsibility for if they have any hopes of receiving that golden paycheck. This also goes back to personal cost: by placing voting day on a Tuesday, some people would have to take time off from work to go down to the voting booth and cast their vote. For some that might mean loosing money due to being payed by the hour, our loosing his or her lunch hour. Both being very concerning propositions for many Americans and adequate reason to not vote.

Voting Registration linked to Jury Duty --> In some states, your voter registration is how they choose jurors. Signing up to vote also signs you up to be called for jury duty.
Note: This is only in some states!

We vote too often --> Being a democratic system, we defer the election of officials to the people; however, some municpalities or just local governments in general vote on a lot of positions. Sometimes individuals feel like voting on these positions doesn't matter.

People are involved in different ways --> Some people are involved in politics in ways other than voting. They campaign, write letters, call people to remind them to vote, and contribute in other ways. Sometimes the individual feels as if he or she has contributed enough and that they do not need to contribute his or her vote.

Some races are less competitive --> If there is only one candidate running or the candidate has been elected for a certain position for x number of years without being challenged, then many people do not see the need to vote. There is no competition, the person will get elected (what seems like) no matter why so there is no need to vote.

you know the story, die hard republicans, hate McCain, but can't vote for Obama. Believe me, I have tried to change their minds. I doubt Palin made a difference for them.

I may join their ranks.

then you aren't looking very hard.

Support the ticket or STFU.

to watch, listen, read THEN determine whether 'our' vote should be cast. I will NEVER STFU!!

Where were you?

Don't believe BO has debated the true enemy yet, mcsame and his lipstick pit bull. I am HERE on planet Earth waiting for a REAL honest to goodness hard fought debate to occur about substantive issues.

Obama wasn't my first choice (Biden was) but I found myself drawing to Obama because of his debate performance. when Biden dropped out, I was still torn between the leaders but felt confident in both.

OTOH--why am I even responding to you? You can shout all you want, but I can ignore you without the ignore feature.

I think you may fall into the camp I discussed of voters who are so turned off by the attack ads, that they take themselves out of the game. Some people advocate that Obama go Karl Rove on John McCain. However, in addition to Big Media's bias, the downside of such an approach is that negative campaigns depress voter turnout.

How is it that the debates will produce a solid focused believable leader? Surely, you understand what issues are important to you. How will a debate make a difference?

My take is that you are the type of person who has been affected by Big Media, and McCain's attack ads, such that you are so disgusted with politicians that you want to say a pox to both their houses, and not vote. Well, if you don't vote, or vote McCain, then it just validates the GOP approach to campaigning.

The REAL issues have/are being replaced with the same old election BS. This nation is in serious 'F'ing trouble and the candidates should be reflecting this reality and offering substantial concise solutions. Roe v. Wade is safe and their are much more pressing issues. I will not waste my vote to perpetuate the same old washington d.c. BS.

conscience or they are not going to vote. I'm referring, here, to Democrats. I was for Hillary when the primary started out but now I will vote Obama. It is scary!!!

My guess is the people with the most bluster will wear themselves out. I HOPE.

they've been mobilized for 2-4 years.

Even those who no longer believe we have any effect want Obama and will vote for him, if for no other reason than to not have to listen to McCain's bullshit. The tuned out will vote Obama to at least get someone that can tell a proper lie.

Yup, that works too. "Come on man do you really want someone that can't even tell you a proper soothing lie?"

"Yeah, at least Obama can pull off a Reagan or a Clinton and we can pretend every thing's not completely fucked up".

There are a tremendous amount of ways to "skin a cat". Don't be afraid to try any of them.

Kentuckian, I have an optimistic friend. She predicted in early 2007 Obama would be our nominee. ~smile~

cynicism and inability.

They -- along with me -- are in a state that is very, very unlikely to flip blue, even more so now that the "landslide" electoral projections are not panning out anymore. Neither of them has a driver's license because they can't afford a car, not even a rattle-trap, cannot get a job because of the lack of a car (nice catch-22), and they would have to ask someone else to take time off to get them to the polls. In their minds, it's a wasted effort. The parents in the case are emotionally abusive to each other and tend to use the kids as weapons, so that's not much of an option.

Can't say I particularly blame them for their position, even if I don't agree.

Edit to add that their ages are 18 and 21.

I don't fall into any of what your saying...maybe I am not your typical non-voter. I have had the opportunity to vote for 25 years and will be registering, voting and volunteering for the first time.

My vote is Obama and would have also supported Hillary.

QF, I have done well under Bush...maybe I invested wisely, maybe I was lucky...but what has happened to my neighbors, community and country is not tolerable. The fact that we have allowed ourselves to be lied to, cheated and overlooked as if we were drugged is not tolerable...and if we don't stop this now, we may never have a chance to change...we may only be able to put a band aid on a broken toy and hope for the best...also not tolerable.

I guess what I am saying is there is a large percent of non-voter that are not directly effect by politics, they seem to do well, we usually aren't in a military action that everyone wants to call a war, up until recently we didn't hear true facts about global warming, nor were we subject to government asking big business what if...and their reply so what, and in return that's ok. This goes on and on...

We are all being effected right now, everyone feels it...maybe seeking that 40 percent is something that should be considered. Food for thought on my first post.

I use the 40% number, since it was reached within the last 40 years, but this is actually an anomaly. In 1996, less than 50 percent of eligible voters voted. The REAL downside of a Rove-style stink up the election is that it often just disgusts the electorate such that they do not vote at all, rather than trying to wade through the sleaze. This is why I have doubts that the Democrats can prevail in a sleaze-fest, because the depressed turnout might ultimately hurt them.

aware. If you don't mind, what energized you this time to vote Democratic? Is it a "positive' vote (in that you agree with the Dem agenda/candidates) or a "negative" vote against McCain or even against the politcies of the Bush administration (or both/neither/something else)?

I don't mean to challenge you; I'm very impressed by your response and am just wondering what inspires a knowledgeable non-voter to vote. Yours is a demographic either party would be very happy to claim.

Thanks, and good conversation calls for a :toast: Welcome again!

It is a positive vote for Dem...the direction that the very strong candidates brought to the front this year...or perhaps what they were no longer afraid to say.

It really started with Gore. The fire was lite...how could the American voter stand for what was being done How is this horse and buggy law even in existence without modification, etc, etc...

I also believe that this line in the sand between parties keeps the best man/women out of office. Serious change is needed...and I realize the above statement is not attainable for the masses or the stanch...therefore, my value of how it should be has to be set aside for the greater good...the democratic party.

Government has allowed our Jonesing community, no encouraged this attitude allowing money to be sucked out of the middle class population out of greed...besides lying cheating and stealing....because of false prosperity.

It is also a negative vote against the Rep...We allow a man to set in office that has lied to his people over 570 times about Iraq alone...we want to allow a carbon copy of our present to dictate 4 more years? I don't think so...thats a whole other story.

As I stated, I am a newbie to politics...please forgive things that seem relevant to me that is old news....

She has voted Democrat since she was old enough to vote, but she told me today that she is so disgusted by the lack of focus on economic issues that she didn't care enough to vote.

Try to get your mom to watch an interview with Obama or Biden. The interviewers always want to try to raise questions regarding irrelevant stuff, but Obama and Biden do raise the economy every chance they get. Or, show her a youtube of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's DNC speeches where they discuss the economy. Sadly, its Big Media that is complicit with the McCain strategy of avoiding the issues, but it certainly is not for a lack of trying by the Obama campaign to discuss economic issues.

This is why the Democrats cannot simply adopt Rovian attacks. Because people will simply get so disgusted that they will not vote, except for the RW wackos who thrive on this type of muck.

can help with items 2 and 3. I have driven senior citizens to polls and it was fun and rewarding. Some older people get really fired up but may truly not be physically able to get out and vote. Please volunteer to do that on election day if you can. I always take that day off work and make myself avaialable, especially for that.


As for the election laws that make it so restrictive and difficult to work -some of them state laws (like in PA, you have to register 30 days in advance and that can be harder than you might imagine for some people to remember and actually do) and some federal (why can't elections, at least national ones, be an ENTIRE weekend?), it will take a lot of time and effort to change them but I believe a serious movement (Voting Rights Act II, if you will) would really pay off. In other countries, voter turnout is so much higher than here, for a lot of reasons, but part of it is surely that it is so much easier and convenient to vote.
Here we have dubious things like the "Help America Vote act", designed to do just the oppposite.

I always have some from the number 1 catagory to wrangle in.

As an Oregonian, Number 2 and Number 3 are simply not issues, as we all vote by mail or by direct deliver of our ballots to elections offices or dropoffs. No need to miss work, bad weather is of no consequence, transportation is from couch to mailbox. At Primary time, three different Obama campaigners came to remind me to mail it in. Three. I loved them all.