Ms. Kahn’s science class is practicing presenting information in different ways. “Scientists need to be able to organize and interpret the data that they collect, as well as explain it to others,” says Ms. Kahn. “Majesta found data on the internet about voter participation in recent national elections. She has written down some notes in a table to share with us.”  

“I’m not sure if this information backs up the idea that compulsory voting really works,” says Majesta. “I mean, Greece and Mexico both have compulsory voting, but the voter participation rates in each country aren’t that high.”

“But in Greece they don’t really enforce the voting rules,” says Sergio. “My uncle always votes—he says it’s his ‘civic duty’–but none of my cousins ever bother.”

“Well, evidently voters in Australia and Belgium take voting laws seriously,” suggests Majesta, “because they’ve got a really high voter turnout rate.”

“There are a lot of variables that could affect voter turnout,” says Ms. Kahn. “Access and ease of voting, level of education, apathy, and enforcement affect whether people vote or not. Let’s take a look at the data to see if we can find any clues. For instance, how does the percent of the voting-age population who voted compare to the percent of registered voters who voted?”

“Hold on!” says Sammy. “Ms. Kahn, this table is confusing. The percentages are all over the place. Can we find a way to make the information clearer?”

Here is Majesta’s table.

How is Majesta’s table organized? What are the benefits and drawbacks of this organization?

How could the information from Majesta’s data table be presented in a way that might make it clearer or easier to understand?

Discussion Question:

Discuss whether or not you think voting should be compulsory. Use the data from the table to help make your argument.