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| Chapter 8: Political Participation and Voting |
| You Decide |
The goal of this exercise is to improve your understanding of voter turnout and how a few votes greatly influenced the 2004 election. By reviewing just how close the Ohio vote was, you will see how just a few votes can affect the outcome.
Go to : http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/
Under the dropdown menu “General by Year,” chose the 2004 election. Scroll down the bottom of the page and click on the “what if” scenarios. |
| 1. Under the first scenario, how many Ohio voters would it have taken to give John Kerry the victory in Ohio? |
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| 2. A change of how many votes in three states would have created an electoral tie between Bush and Kerry? In which states? |
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| 3. Click on the voter turnout meter and scroll down to the bottom of the page. According to the chart, what was the national voter turnout as a proportion of the entire Voting Age Population (VAP)? |
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| 4. What was Ohio’s voter turnout as a % of all Registered Voters (REG)? How many people voted in Ohio in the 2004 election (voter turnout)? |
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5. What was your states turnout as a % of Registered Voters (REG)? Is your state’s turnout higher or lower than the national average?
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6. According to the text, what are the reasons why people don’t vote? Are there any changes you would make that would encourage more people to vote?
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