The United States Voter Participation Rate in 2016 Elections
The United States of America recently registered a lower voter participation rate than in 2012 elections. According to the data collected, the number of voters increased in some states while decreasing in others. According to Regan’s post, millions of individuals did not vote in the 2016 elections. The idea that a large number of Hillary Clinton supporters were defecting to Donald Trump’s side proved incorrect, as his vote total in 2012 was marginally higher than that of Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
The Implementation of New Restrictive Regulations
The implementation of new restrictive regulations in fourteen states was one of the reasons voter participation increased in some jurisdictions. These laws have historically targeted the minorities, denying them a fair chance to vote. The 2016 general election was the first to be held since a key provision in the Voting Rights Act 2013 was struck down by the Supreme Court. The Act required the federal government to approve any state election law before it could become effective. However, there is no much evidence proving the law’s effect on voter participation in the 2016 elections.
Factors Affecting Voter Participation
The people who participated in the voting process were of different ages and had various reasons. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of women who voted for Hillary Clinton was slightly lower than those who voted for Obama in 2012. The number of white voters who voted for Donald Trump was equal to that of Romney. This shows that there were slight changes in voter participation in every state and they are factored by different elements. These elements include public policy, government performance evaluation, and the personal characteristics of a candidate.
Demographic Breakdown of Votes
The voter turnout in 2016 saw Trump win the elections to become president. Exit polls record that he got 52% of the male votes and 41% of the female votes while Hillary got 41% and 51% respectively out of 24,558 respondents. When it came to age, Hillary got a higher percentage of votes from young people between the ages of 18 and 39. Trump got a higher percentage of votes from the older people between the ages of 40 and 65. However, the gap difference between the two candidates was not so high with the older voters. The opposite was the case with young voters where Hillary got quite a number of votes higher than Trump.
Racial Dynamics in Voting
In terms of race, Trump got more votes from white people at 57% while Hillary got 37%. The case was different with black votes as Hillary got 89% while Trump got 8%. The Latino, Asians, and other races gave Hillary more votes 50% and above each while Trump got 30% and below. Race has been a major factor in electoral matters, health matters, and law matters. Blacks and the minority groups have for various reasons been portrayed in a negative way and this was evident even in the election polls. Out of the total number of respondents which was 24,558, only 12% were black compared to 71% White.
Educational, Income, and Ideological Factors
In terms of education and race, Hillary got higher votes from college graduates, postgraduates, non-white college graduates, and non-whites with no degrees. On the other hand, Trump got higher votes from high school and college students, white graduates, and non-graduates. In terms of income, the two candidates scored almost the same with a difference of 1-2%. However, there was a huge difference with low-income earners who voted for Hillary. In general, Trump got more votes from the white community, those with high incomes, and male voters. There was a huge difference in terms of ideology since Hillary had an 84% compared to Trump's 10%.
Improving Voter Turnout
Voter turnout could be improved by educating the black community and the minorities on the importance of voting and the elements they should factor in when choosing a leader. This is because the statistics clearly indicate that a huge number of voters were from the white community. Current practices that are aimed at improving voter turnout include installing laws that are fair to all and accommodate even the minority groups and providing detailed information on voter registration, voting centers, and the things required for one to vote.
Political Action Committee
A Political Action Committee is a committee organized by supporters of a political party for purposes of raising money and using it to elect and defeat various candidates of various positions. Most PAC’s usually have common grounds which include business, labor, or ideology. PAC’s have been in existence since 1944 and one must register with the Federal Election Commission within ten days of being formed. The FEC was founded in 1975 and its aim is to enforce laws governing the financing of campaigns in federal elections.
Advantages of Political Action Committees
There are two major points that are factored in when starting a PAC. The first one is that there are different sets of rules for federal and state PAC’s. If a PAC is intended to support a federal office candidate it has to be registered as a federal PAC. If it intends to support a state or local office candidate it has to be registered as a state PAC. The second point is that PAC’s are highly regulated and therefore members need to know exactly what is required in starting a PAC and running it. PAC’s have advantages and disadvantages which are also factored in when starting one.
Setting the Scope
Setting the Scope is one of the advantages of a Political Action Committee. A PAC has the advantage of giving people with the same interests an opportunity to set the scope. PAC’s can support candidates based on ideologies and can also support candidates in one state or across the country. A PAC can be based on anything the members; want provided it is in accordance with the law. This means that the members can make a PAC what they want it to be. A PAC is long-lasting. PAC’s are long-lasting in comparison to traditional campaigns. Traditional campaigns focus on the moment and after the elections a campaign team is disbanded. PAC’s can last long to support various candidates and they have a written structure that guides them.
Involving a lot of People
A lot of People can be involved. PAC’s have the ability of involving as many people as they want and may end up creating a movement. This is an advantage because it helps in creating networks and enables a PAC to raise more funds based on its numbers. A PAC allows one to think big. Acting as a group allows one or members of a PAC to think big since they have access to a larger network, large numbers of supporters, and the ability to raise more funds. A PAC gives the leader or leaders a place at the Table. Being the leader of a PAC provides an opportunity for one to be involved in matters that contribute towards making a difference in any given area.
Disadvantages of Political Action Committees
Disadvantages of Political Action Committees. Starting and running a PAC involves numerous rules. PAC’s have quite a lot of rules that govern them. It is very tedious and time-consuming to go through all the requirements and governing laws in order to abide by them. PAC’s involve a lot of paper filing and submission of reports. All states have their own set of rules governing PAC’s and therefore one has to be very careful when starting one or running one. It is hard to build a grip on PAC’s. Starting a PAC is hard and maintaining it is even harder. The political scene is full of Political Action Committees that are all in support of different ideas and have different values. Many PAC’s are started and die off after some time.
Require a lot of Money
PAC’s need a lot of money in order to serve their cause. A PAC thrives in money and this money is not readily available. A lot of fundraising needs to be done in order to come up with funds. Most PAC’s tend to easily burn out after some time. Political Action Committees have an advantage of lasting for long. However, this is also an element of easy burnout since PAC’s have to be on toes throughout raising funds for upcoming elections and support drives. Staying relevant is a huge challenge for PAC’s. They have a challenge of staying relevant in the changing political scene. People’s ideologies also change with time and if a PAC was founded based on certain ideologies that no longer fit in the current situations then the PAC becomes irrelevant. This is especially so if a PAC is not willing to change its ideologies or strategies.
Unfairness and Supreme Court Rulings
Political Action Committees tend to be a bit unfair due to the fact that every state has its own rules and regulations therefore they do not run on standard rules. This means that one state may have rules that are lenient and have some provisions that may not be in another state’s law for PAC’s. There is also some form of unfairness in terms of membership since there is no maximum number of members a PAC can or should have. This means that some PAC’s have more power than others based on their numbers and political strength. One of the major rulings by the United States Supreme Court was on PAC’s finance provision. The Court struck down the provision that limited the contribution to federal candidates in politics and committees.
Bibliography
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http://www.localvictory.com/fundraising/your-own-political-action-committee.html
Highton, Benjamin. “Voter identification laws and turnout in the United States.” Annual Review of Political Science 20, no. 1 (2017).
Leighley, Jan E., and Jonathan Nagler. Who votes now?: Demographics, issues, inequality, and turnout in the United States. Princeton University Press, 2013.
Luard, Evan. The globalization of politics: the changed focus of political action in the modern world. Berlin: Springer, 2016.
Minor, William H. Supreme Court Strikes Down Individual Aggregate Contribution Limits. New York: DLA Piper Publications. 2016. Retrieved From
https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2014/04/supreme-court-strikes- down/
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http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/voter-turnout-2016-elections/
