Voting - AP US Government

"Civic Duty" refers to the idea that every able and eligible American has a responsibility to vote in elections and engage in the political process. The phrase is generally intended to encourage people to appreciate and take advantage of the fact that they live in a liberal and democratic society.

Voter turnout has generally steadily declined throughout American history, from it’s high point in the middle of the nineteenth century to its general low point today. The highest elections for voter turnout were 1876 and 1860. Part of the reason for declining voter turnout is the dramatic increase in eligible voters over the years, another reason might be the declining (although not dramatically declining) sectarian nature of American politics.

The list of people that is more likely than average to vote in an election include the wealthy and well-educated, those with active community involvement, those with strong religious beliefs, and homeowners. For reasons that probably relate to the concept of permanency, people who rent property are much less likely to vote in an election.

Someone who self-identifies as liberal would be likely to support an increase in marriage equality and the right of a woman to have access to contraception and abortion. Liberals also generally support higher government spending on social programs—particularly welfare and education. Liberals favor tax breaks for the poor and higher tax rates for the wealthy; however, in contemporary American society Liberals do not generally support an increase in military spending. This is something of an anomaly as far as the political spectrum is concerned. Liberals are supposed to favor greater government spending, and Conservatives are supposed to favor limited government spending, but when it comes to the military this is reversed. This is partially a by-product of the way in which the two major political parties are constructed in contemporary American society.

All of these statements are false, except that people with a higher income are more likely to vote in an election. Those with a higher income are much more likely than the average citizen to vote; well-educated people are also more likely to vote; minorities and women are both, in current times, more likely to vote Democrat; Evangelical Christians are more likely than average to vote in an election and often swing the Republican primaries quite dramatically.

The Reverse-Income Effect refers to the fact that, in poorer areas of the United States the Republican Party enjoys majority support, while in wealthier areas the Democratic Party enjoys majority support. This is considered unusual, because the Republican Party’s policies appear to favor the wealthy, while the Democratic Party’s policies appear to favor the poor. People do not generally (historically speaking) vote against their own economic interests so there must be other important factors at play.

Straight-ticket voting refers to the action of voting exclusively for members of one political party on an election ballot. It essentially means that an individual, when faced with a choice between two candidates, does not consider the nature or beliefs of the candidates at all and simply votes based on party lines. It was particularly common in American politics up until the 1960s, but still remains common today.