U.S. Voter Turnout Debate

For those interested in learning more about the voter turnout debate we discussed last night, I recommend this article:

McDonald, M. P. & Popkin, S. L. (2001). The myth of the vanishing voter. The American Political Science Review, 95(4), 963-974.

In outlining their argument about the necessity of examining the voting-eligible population (VEP), instead of the voting-age population (VAP), McDonald and Popkin argue that "the ineligible population is growing faster than the eligible population, which gives rise to the perception that voter participation is decreasing" (p. 963). They also show that the 26th Amendment, which in 1971 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, had a significant -- and negative -- effect on turnout in the United States.

Enjoy,

Sam