The Psychological and Social Causes of Low Voter Turnout Among Low Income Populations
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Authors
Smith, Corey
Issue Date
2009-04-27T19:54:02Z
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The vote has a long history of being a valued right of citizens in democracies around the world. Democracy rests on the idea of public participation in elections in order to choose the leaders of the nation, leaders that represent the needs and wants of the citizens. When participation decreases, as it has in the United States, government becomes less representative. When participation decreases among low income populations, government is unrepresentative of these people, and not accountable to them. But why has participation in this demographic seen such a decline? This is the question I address in this paper. I explore the causes and roots of low participation among the disadvantaged and lower income people in the United States. The literature shows significant psychological and behavioral influences, intertwined with socioeconomic factors to be the root causes of this voting trend. I also look at voter mobilization projects, and their effectiveness in promoting turnout among low income populations.
Description
1 broadside
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.