The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 8, 2024
Brian’s on vacation this week, so we’re re-running a series from fall of 2022 on why people don’t vote. The more we understand it, the more efficient we can be in changing their minds!
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
This week we’re looking at the reasons why people don’t vote. A 2020 survey by political research site FiveThirtyEight.com found that many just don’t like the candidate, some have to wait in line for hours, and some, well, they just don’t think their vote makes a difference.
In fact, a perception that voting wouldn’t make a difference is one of the biggest reasons people don’t bother to vote. Another survey by NPR, also done in 2020, looked at that in detail. It found that 80% of nonvoters thought that traditional parties and politicians didn’t care about them, and 66% thought that voting in elections didn’t really affect how decisions were made in the country. And 53% of nonvoters said that it didn’t matter who was elected President, because nothing would really change for people like them.
Both surveys found that the number of nonvoters increased, as income decreased. NPR found that in household incomes of $50,000 dollars or less, 43% of citizens surveyed were nonvoters. 52% of nonvoters don’t have a high school education. Nonvoters are likely to be young, and more likely NOT to be married.
Nonvoters in both surveys said they were more likely to vote if Election Day were a national holiday, as proposed in the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Both bills were blocked by conservatives in the U.S. Senate.
Links to articles and the surveys can be found at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
FiveThirtyEight.com – Why Many Americans Don’t Vote
NPR – Poll: Despite Record Turnout, 80 Million Americans Didn’t Vote. Here’s Why
CNBC – ‘I don’t plan to vote ever again’: The psychology of why so many people don’t vote, even in 2020
Groups Taking Action:
Movement Voter Project, Voto Latino, Black Voters Matter, Vote.org
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Tags 538 Don’t think Voting Matters FiveThirtyEight.com non voters Nonvoters NPR NPR.org Why Americans Don’t Vote Why Citizens Don’t vote