Hamilton Reef
04-11-2004, 04:44 AM
Voter apathy still plagues political system
In the crowning rite of democracy, more than 100 million Americans will join to make history in November — to elect a president. But a lot more won’t. Some are under 18, and can’t vote. But many others just don’t. When the world’s democracies are ranked according to their voting records, America is at the bottom with Switzerland.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0404/11/a10-119006.htm
Nonvoters at a glance
American nonvoters are not all cut from the same tattered red, white and blue cloth.In 1996, Northwestern University's Medill News Service polled 1,001 Americans who did not vote in the 1992 election, were not registered or did not plan to vote. It found that nonvoters could be put in five categories:
* "The Doers," 29 percent. They don't vote, but they do read newspapers, watch television news, talk about politics and write to representatives. They are educated and affluent.
* "The Unplugged," 27 percent. Mostly young, more skeptical than Doers and less likely to give their time to charity. They are unconnected to news and public affairs.
* "The Irritables," 18 percent. They're angry and feel that the country is on the wrong track and their voices mean nothing to elected officials. They're great consumers of news and information. They're older than the Unplugged and the Doers.
* "The Don't Knows," 14 percent. They have few or no opinions on public affairs. They don't read newspapers, and they are not registered to vote.
* "The Alienateds," 12 percent. Angry like the Irritables, removed like the Don't Knows, most think the country is on the wrong track.
In the crowning rite of democracy, more than 100 million Americans will join to make history in November — to elect a president. But a lot more won’t. Some are under 18, and can’t vote. But many others just don’t. When the world’s democracies are ranked according to their voting records, America is at the bottom with Switzerland.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0404/11/a10-119006.htm
Nonvoters at a glance
American nonvoters are not all cut from the same tattered red, white and blue cloth.In 1996, Northwestern University's Medill News Service polled 1,001 Americans who did not vote in the 1992 election, were not registered or did not plan to vote. It found that nonvoters could be put in five categories:
* "The Doers," 29 percent. They don't vote, but they do read newspapers, watch television news, talk about politics and write to representatives. They are educated and affluent.
* "The Unplugged," 27 percent. Mostly young, more skeptical than Doers and less likely to give their time to charity. They are unconnected to news and public affairs.
* "The Irritables," 18 percent. They're angry and feel that the country is on the wrong track and their voices mean nothing to elected officials. They're great consumers of news and information. They're older than the Unplugged and the Doers.
* "The Don't Knows," 14 percent. They have few or no opinions on public affairs. They don't read newspapers, and they are not registered to vote.
* "The Alienateds," 12 percent. Angry like the Irritables, removed like the Don't Knows, most think the country is on the wrong track.