Voter turnout rates are tragically low in this country. Even the record-breaking turnout of the
recent presidential primaries reached a mere third of eligible adults in only
nine states. In the general election that followed,
turnout was less than two-thirds of eligible adults, placing us well below peer
nations. Even the states with the highest turnout rates, such as Alaska,
Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, have turn-out
significantly below high-turnout nations such as Austria, Italy, and the Czech
Republic.
An election system that fosters broad participation is essential to bringing
about progressive change for the simple reason that a majority of people,
especially many not currently voting, support the goals that progressives are
striving to achieve. Equally important for progressive reform is
encouraging participation by groups who have been and continue to be
marginalized politically. Reducing the demographic and socio-economic
skew in the electorate will strengthen the voice of groups that support
traditionally progressive goals such as civil rights, health care reform, and
economic justice. A host of reforms can help increase the percentage of
people who vote and bring more racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity to
the electorate.
Registration remains the biggest procedural hurdle to
voting. It is crucial that this barrier be lowered or removed altogether if
we are to become a society where a large majority of people participate in
elections. We can use a number of tools
to simplify the registration and voting process, particularly for young people,
to build a stronger culture of civic participation.
