US Election turnout trailing

Understanding Low Voter Turnout in the US and Strategies to Improve It Student Name Institution Course Professor Date Understanding Low Voter Turnout in the US and Strategies to Improve It A voter turnout is one of the main indicators of the democratic health of a country, and the degree of participation of citizens affects the formation of their government. The United States has always been a laggard among other developed countries in participation. According to Drew DeSilver (2022), in 2020, 62.8% of the voting-age population made the vote, which is the 31st in 49 democracies. This is a structural and social gap and not voter apathy. This essay reflects on the key reasons behind the lack of turnout and analyzes some of the reforms that could enhance American democracy. Thomas Patterson describes in We the People why voter turnout in the US is so low because of the political system and process of voting used in the country. One of them is splintered and hard election management. The US does not have a homogenous national system as many other democracies do; it has thousands of states and local jurisdictions whose registration deadlines, rules on identification, and procedures to vote vary (Patterson, 2023). This contradiction diverts new or occasional voters and prevents them from voting. Patterson further asserts that the US conducts elections during weekdays when most people have to work, as opposed to countries that conduct elections on weekends or use the day as a holiday. This involves more time and effort, especially for working-class voters. Accordingly, the complexity of the American voting system is a source of logistical and psychological barriers to voter turnout relative to other democracies. There is a reason why certain populations of the US have less voter turnout. In a study by Slee and Desmond (2021), eviction and housing instability decrease voter turnout, particularly with low-income and minority groups. They demonstrated that neighborhoods with higher eviction rates experienced significant turnout in the 2016 presidential elections, with millions of eviction and voting data. Homelessness alters the geographical location of the people, and it reduces political and civic participation. Patterson (2023) writes that marginalized individuals do not feel involved in politics and do not think that their votes matter. Political activity is a luxury where survival overrules civic activity. Therefore, political representation and exclusion cycles are enhanced by economic and housing instability. Patterson and DeSilver (2022) state that another point of low voter turnout is voter regis...