Does Higher Voter
Participation Really Matter
One of the great contradictions of American politics is the fact that our elections the hallmark of voter turnout. From a high point of about 65percent turnout in 1960 to a seven-decade low of 49 percent in the 1996 presidential election, Americans are staying away from the polls in record numbers. By comparison, voter turnout in virtually every other democratic nation of the world is significantly higher, typically in the range of 70 to 90 percent in their comparable national elections. But is this anything to worry about?