AP Government
Increasing American Voter Turnout
The United States of America is one of the most famous democracies in the world. However, our voter turnout is dreadfully low. During this project, your group will evaluate numerous proposals to improve voter turnout in American elections.
Directions: Each group should discuss the proposals on the following pages. Groups should come up with at least one benefit for each proposal and one negative for each proposal. Once that is done, each group must choose their Top 3 choices and the 3 Least favorite options.
Positive / Proposed Solution / NegativeWeekend Voting Act - moves voting from Tuesday to the weekend. Voting would begin at Noon on Saturday and end at Noon on Sunday.
Voter Lottery - pilot program in Los Angeles, CA. The city would use unclaimed lottery funds and enter voters that participate in elections into a lottery with a prize of $50,000.
Universal Voter Registration - Germans who are 18 or older on voting day automatically receive a notification card before any election in which they are eligible to vote. Canada uses income tax returns for voter registration. In the United Kingdom, every residence receives a notice of those registered within the household, and additional voters can be registered by mail.
Same Day Voter Registration - States like Minnesota and New York allow voters to register and vote on the same day.
Ranked Choice Voting - Ranked choice voting (RCV) describes voting systems that allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, and then uses those rankings to elect candidates able to combine strong first choice support with the ability to earn second and third choice support.
Mandatory Voting - Australia has a policy of mandatory voter participation. Voters that do not show up at polls are fined $15.
Publicize Voting in Media, Schools, etc. - TV stations, Newspapers, radio stations, along with schools and other public interests can help publicize the dates for elections.
Election Day as a Holiday - Keep voting on Tuesday, but make it a national holiday. Close banks, schools, businesses, everything except hospital.
Early Voting - States like Maryland and Illinois provide voters with opportunities to cast their votes prior to the official Election Day. This is meant to lower voter wait time on Election Day.
Online Voting - You can text your vote or vote online for American Idol, why not for the American President?
Vote by Mail - Oregon mails a ballot to all registered voters. Voters can vote at their convenience and then drop their ballot in the mail or drop it off at a polling place on Election Day.
Motor Voter - Oregon automatically registers voters when you get a drivers license. You must "Opt Out" of registering instead of "Opting In".
3 Favorite Proposals:
3 Least Favorite Proposals:
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