Should voting be compulsory in local and national elections in the United States?
civic | apathy | enforce | decline | evidently
Embedded Files
Do the Math
Do the Math
Many people see voting as a civic responsibility. They worry about declining voter turnout and rising apathy about who gets elected to the United States government. Some people say that Americans evidently don’t care very much about politics. One idea to increase voter turnout is to make and enforce compulsory voting laws. Other people think the U.S. could improve voter turnout by making voting day a national holiday, so people have plenty of time to vote. What do the numbers tell us about voter turnout? Is it really declining?
Option 1:
Option 1:
According to the graph, which election year had the greatest decline in voter turnout compared to the election before?
A. 1996
B. 2000
C. 2024
D. 2012
Option 2:
Option 2:
The year 2000 was a census year as well as a presidential election year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the United States in 2000 was 281,421,906 residents. The voter turnout that same year was 54% of eligible voters. Does this mean that, in 2000, 54% of 281,421,906 residents voted? Why or why not?
Discussion Question:
Discussion Question:
The graph above shows information on national presidential elections, when people are most likely to vote. But local elections experience even lower voter turnout. Some people believe that voter turnout of 50% or 60% in presidential elections shows civic apathy. But others believe it shows that the process of voting is not as easy as it should be. If voter turnout does not decline in the future, should we be satisfied? Or is it evident to you that more people should vote? Is good citizenship something that we should enforce?
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