Please Do Not Copy-for Reference

UNIT 2 AP® UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS


Election turnout in the United States for presidential contests stands at about 50%, which is significantly lower than the 90% rate of turnout in other industrialized countries around the world. Our election turnout rate for congressional candidates is even lower at 30-40%.

A1. One demographic characteristic associated with nonvoting is race. African-Americans while largely supportive of the Democratic Party have very low rates of political participation. Largely due to past historical abuses, mainly Jim Crow and discrimination at the polls, African-Americans can be described as having low political efficacy or the feeling that their vote has not counted. This has led even today to their lack of participation at the polls.

A2. Another demographic characteristic associated with nonvoting is age. The voting rates for 18-24 year olds are also quite low. Young people provide a variety of reasons for non-voting including busy school schedules and difficulty making it to polling places, but low political efficacy can also describe this group. Many young people feel disconnected to the political process and have a generally skeptical view of politicians and interest groups. The 26th Amendment was designed in part to encourage more young people to come to the polls. It has not led to any substantial change in voting turnout for this group.

B1. One institutional obstacle associated with nonvoting is the cumbersome registration process. The registration process is often described as confusing, multi-staged and discouraging for many Americans. Unlike other countries our process is two-staged: registration and then voting. Many Americans do not know where to go to register despite the Motor-Voter law allowing voters to register at their local DMV. Additionally, many prospective voters are confused about the rules such as whether or not they need to register as a Republican or Democrat for certain elections. This confusion and discouragement oftentimes leads to low voter turnout.

B2. Another institutional obstacle associated with nonvoting is a factor known as “election fatigue”. The sheer number of elections in the United States (from political primaries, to mid-term congressional elections, from gubernatorial contests, to local ballot initiatives-leads many Americans to conclude that there are more elections than they are willing to participate in. This is perhaps why voter turnout for Congressional elections stands at 30-40%.


B3. Yet another institutional obstacle associated with nonvoting is known as “ballot fatigue”. Anther form of fatigue that Americans complain about relates to the complexity of the average ballot one confronts—many of the initiatives placed on said ballot are long, redundant and at times made deliberatively confusing. Many Americans complain that so many issues are stuffed into the average ballot that the average person does not have the time to study it beforehand, let alone on Election Day. Ballot fatigue is another reason why many Americans stay away from the polls.