POL 201 Week 5 Discussion 1 Voting and Voter Turnout.

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POL 201 Week 5 Discussion 1 Voting and Voter Turnout

Voting and Voter Turnout. 1st Post Due by Day 3.

Prepare: Prior to completing this discussion question, review Chapters 9 and 10 in American Governmentand the following articles: “How Voter ID Laws Are Being Used to Disenfranchise Minorities and the Poor,” “Fraught with Fraud,” and “Proof at the Polls.”

Reflect: The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among modern democratic political systems. One study ranks the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared on voter turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). During the last decade, many initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter participation, yet concerns about the possibility of election fraud have also increased. Additionally, some political interests feel threatened by the increase in turnout among some traditionally low-turnout ethnic minorities. Several states have recently passed legislation imposing new registration and identification requirements. This has sparked debate about whether these are tactics intended to suppress turnout or to prevent fraud.

Write: In your initial post, summarize recent developments in several states enacting voter ID laws. Analyze and describe the pros and cons on both sides of the debate about these laws. Is voter fraud a major problem for our democracy or are some groups trying to make it harder for some segments of society to vote? Draw your own conclusion about the debate over voter ID laws. Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. 

Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be 200 to 250 words. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.

Respond to Peers: By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial posts. Your peer responses should be 75 to 100 words each. They must demonstrate critical thinking. For example, compare your post to a classmate’s post that takes a contrary position. If you are arguing voter fraud is a major problem then contrast your argument to a classmate that argues voter ID laws are designed to suppress voting, or vice versa.