The Pew analysis identifies basic attitudes and lifestyles that keep these intermittent voters less engaged in politics and the political process. Intermittent voters also are characterized by feelings of boredom with politics.
Intermittent voters also are more mistrustful of other people than are regular voters. This is another factor that may prevent intermittent voters from building the kinds of community and interpersonal connections that directly lead to political participation. One other key difference: Regular voters are more likely than intermittent voters to say they have been contacted by a candidate or political group encouraging them to vote, underscoring the value of get-out-to-vote campaigns and other forms of party outreach for encouraging political participation.
The survey also finds that the demographic factors that distinguish non-voters from voters also differentiate regular from intermittent voters. Intermittent voters are somewhat less well educated and less affluent than are regular voters.
What keeps them voting, at least occasionally? Intermittent voters share two critical characteristics with those who have the voting habit, the survey found. The survey also reveals broad differences between those who are not registered to vote and regular or occasional voters. Structural factors stand between some of these Americans and the ballot booth. This suggests even with recent reforms in voter registration laws, barriers to voting still exist for some Americans.
When asked to answer that question in their own words, no single dominant reason emerges. Not only do the rich seem to get richer, on Election Day next month they will probably get a disproportionately large say about who gets elected to Congress. So will older people, whites, college graduates and those who frequen tly go to church, they survey finds. Among those likely to once again stand on the sidelines on Nov. Regular voters also are older than those who are not registered.
Looking at the other end of the participation scale tells the same story, but even more dramatically. Four-in-ten year-olds are not registered to vote, double the proportion of year-olds and nearly three times greater than those ages 50 or older. And if someone better steps up to the plate, I'll be first in line to cast my ballot," he says. Young people often fall into this category, says Huddy, because they "follow news less closely and are more likely than older Americans to get their news from social media.
They do not feel especially well-informed about political candidates and think that the act of voting is more difficult than do older Americans. When measuring someone's propensity to vote, it "matters whether a person is interested in politics or sees politics as something central to their sense of self," he says.
There are "lots of things we can care more or less about: music, baseball, abstract art, and so on," Federico says. Others do not. All other things being equal, people who are less interested in politics — or who do not see their political beliefs as central to their identity — are less likely to vote. Extroverts and people who are more open to new experiences are more likely to vote, Federico says, and conversely, people who are "relatively close-minded and don't like new things" and those "who are less outgoing and assertive" are less likely to vote.
While there can be a lot that goes into a person's decision to vote or not, the fact that millions of people vote at all is a wonder, says Jay Van Bavel, an associate professor in New York University's Department of Psychology , whose research focuses on things like moral values and political beliefs affect the brain and behavior. Economists have argued that voting is irrational because one vote almost never swings an election," Van Bavel says. Financial barriers, lack of access to transportation, and limited information can make it difficult for older people, people of color, and low-income people to obtain an ID.
Former and current prisoners convicted of felonies are another group of people who are often disenfranchised during elections, especially if they are African American. Maine and Vermont are the only states that do not prohibit those convicted of felonies from voting, even when they are in prison. Research shows that nonvoters are more likely to be low-income, young, Hispanic, or Asian American.
Various laws and structural systems, from limited early voting windows to ID restrictions, disproportionately impact people of color and contribute to voter suppression across the country. College graduates, who tend to make more money, are also more likely to seek out information on politics and vote. Regardless of other factors, women report turning out to vote at slightly higher rates than men. A line of mostly students wait to vote at a Texas primary election polling site on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas on March 6, Sunday is the most common voting day around the world, except in the US.
While early voting and mail-in voting gives citizens more flexibility, not all states offer these options. The Republican and Democratic parties are the two largest political parties in the US. With enough preparation and information , voting can help citizens play an important role in shaping the world in which they want to live.
You can check your voter registration status here.
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