20 Mar American National Government/ Voting rights

The Discussion

The discussion takes a look at recent developments surrounding voter turnout and registration. Sadly, while the United States is often referred to as the leader of the free world, our voter turnout rate puts us rather far back in the pack on that front. That being said, one of the dominant debates of late has been the integrity versus accessibility of the vote. Should all voters be required to produce some form of legal identification in order to vote? Is that a reasonable step towards maintaining the integrity of the vote? Or is it an attempt to suppress voter turnout in some ethnic and socio-economic voting blocs?

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.

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. 

Remember, facts matter. 

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.

Use real-world examples and details to support your arguments. 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.