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Historical voting patterns
Americans Just beat one voter-turnout record – here’s how 2016 compares to past elections
Website: Business Insider
Summary
The article discusses how the 2016 elections failed the people’s expectations especially the voter-turnout. It starts by stating that more than 46 million voters had voted before elections day which broke the early voting records. However, the early voting does not have much influence on the election outcome and most important, the perception of the election against the backdrop of previous elections. The article notes that the elections were based on historical division. The voters voted against the expectations and instead of crowning the Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, it oversaw the Republican candidate Donald Trump’s win. Further, the elections recorded the highest number of voters, 134 million, followed by the 2008 election where more than 132 million were counted. However, these statistics are worrying as the high number is commensurate to the increasing population in the United States. In fact, only 58% of the registered voters turned out for the election which is a low number compared to previous elections. For instance, the article notes the 1873 elections where the voter turnout was about 83%. The 1873 elections were highly contested by the Democrat Candidate, Samuel J. Tilden, and the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes just like the 2016 elections involving the Democrat Clinton and the Republic, Trump.

While it was highly contested in court, the election yielded a Republican president just like the 2016 elections. However, certain populations including women and blacks did not vote in the 1883 elections. The article adds that the 62% 2008 voter-turnout is close to 2016 election’s 58%, but these figures are low compared to voter-turnout in other industrialized countries. The article then displays a graphical representation showing that the voter-turnout in 2016 has decreased in the last decade to the point that it appears to have stagnated.
Answering the questions
Opinion
I agree with the article that the voter-turnout percentages in the past decade have reduced. The statistical comparison of the voting patterns in the American history shows the voter’s turn-out has been spiraling downwards consistently and that something needs to be done. The article is also factual that while the number of voters was highest in 2016 and 2008, it represents the increase in population and therefore, does not represent a high number of registered voters voting in the elections. I think that the candidates should change their campaign strategies to incorporate talks on the importance of all registered citizens to vote for their preferred candidate.
What I learned
I learned about the history of voters’ turnout from the graphical impression in the article. It showed that the 19th century had the highest registered voters’ turn-out, which has been gradually decreasing ever since. I also learned that the 1883 election had the highest registered voters voting in the United States history.
Contemporary issues
The contemporary issues raised in the article and present in the articles includes voting, women rights, racism, and population increase.
Three questions to ask
What was the lowest voter turnout in American history?
How does the 2012 voters turn-out compare to those from 2008 and 2016?
What could be done to encourage registered voters to come out and vote for their candidates?
Addressing questions
The United States Registered Voters
The US 2016 presidential elections
November 8, 2016
The United States of America
Elect a new president
Harrington, Rebecca, and Skye Gould. “Past Voter Turnout Compared to 2016’s Potential Record-breaking Year.” Business Insider, 14 Nov. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/trump-voter-turnout-records-history-obama-clinton-2016-11.