The Learned Helplessness of the American Voter
Via Bloomberg Politics
Seventy-two years and 16 days have passed since Election Day, 1942. Back then, the country had plunged into World War II, millions of drafted citizens were fighting abroad, and African Americans in the South, though counted as eligible voters, faced severe disenfranchisement. That fall, George Gallup wrote in the New York Times, “people are unusually busy these days”; there were shortages to cope with, food rations, and only 33.9 percent of Americans ended up voting that year. In the midterm elections held this Nov. 4—when no World War was waging—only 36.3 percentage of the eligible population voted, the lowest turnout seen since 1942. What excuse do we have?
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