Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

What type of voter are you?

2004; Wiley; Volume: 80; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0001-2092(06)61316-1

1878-0369

Nancy J. Girard,

Public Administration and Governance

Nancy J. Ginrd, RN Next month is a big month for Americans because voting for candidates for national office will take place. Voting is a right and a privilege for those living in the greatest country in the world, and it should be taken seriously whether it is for national or local elections. This is an area of national concern, however, because many US citizens do not use their vote and give their voice to the process of choosing who they think should lead the country in the future. Statistics from the 2002 Congressional elections show that voting numbers increased from previous elections.1 Of the 128 million people registered to vote in the 2002 congressional elections, 89 million voted.2 This was a record number for a nonpresidential election. According to government reports, however, there are many reasons why people did not vote in the 2002 elections.1 The most common reason for not voting given by respondents (ie, 27%) was that they were too busy or that there were schedule conflicts. Illness or disability was the next most common reason at 13%, followed by not interested, out of town, did not like candidates, forgot, and registration or transportation problems. In addition, 1.4% thought it was just too inconvenient. The reasons for not voting in the 2000 presidential election were similar.1 Education plays a major role in determining whether someone will vote.1 Of the voters in the last election, 68.9% of those with an advanced degree voted, 60% of individuals with a bachelor's degree voted, 47.9% of individuals with an associate's degree or some college voted, and 39.6% of individuals who had completed high school voted. Only 27% of people who did not complete high school voted.1 Another interesting fact is that the largest group of voters (ie, 65.1%) was aged 65 to 74. The smallest group of voters (ie, 19.3%) was aged 18 to 24. Mechanical—This voter votes the same way for the same person every time. Name recognition is most important, regardless of the activities of the candidate involved. Mechanical voters are fairly fast in the voting booth, but they can get thrown off guard if a known name does not show up in each category. It has been said that among this group of voters if George Washington's name was still on the ballot, he would win the election. Indecisive—This person has not made up his or her mind, even when entering the voting booth. When forced to choose between two people he or she knows nothing about, this voter usually will use the “Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, with this person I will go,” method. Better yet, these voters close their eyes and vote for the person whose name their finger hits. Reflective—These voters take voting very seriously. They have thought about every candidate and every issue and how they would affect them and their loved ones. When in the voting booth, they must reflect on everything once more so that no error is made. These voters need about an hour in the voting booth. Steadfast—These are loyal voters who will stand up for their candidate through thick and thin. They vote the straight party line every time, every election, even when they secretly wonder whether some of the candidates are the best choice. These voters also are fast—they are in and out of the booth before most people can fill out their registration cards. Angry—These voters hate the candidates, hate what they perceive to be a corrupt and ineffectual voting system, and especially hate waiting in line to vote. If not controlled, these people will push their way to the head of the line and punch huge holes in the paper votes or hit the computer screen so hard they put the booth out of service for the day. Procrastinator—Procrastinators have the best intentions and really know for whom they want to vote. They just put it off until the last minute. They usually are the ones who show up two minutes before the voting venue closes or, worse, right after it closes. Then they figure that procrastinating worked out well because they really did not want to vote for any of the candidates anyway. Wild ones—These voters are exciting and keep the candidates on their toes. They do not know until entering the booth whose name they will mark. These voters hate being classified and can be a Republican one day, a Democrat another, and a hobbit the day after that. These people skew the preelection surveys because they never answer the same way twice. Cynical—Cynical voters are becoming a big group. These people think that their votes do not count anyway, that all the candidates probably have lied, that it does not matter in the long run who wins because all politicians are the same, and voters have been so manipulated that the election outcome already has been determined. Regardless of their cynicism, however, they still turn out to vote. Wonderful—Last, but not least, people who vote are wonderful voters. It really does not matter what other type of voter they may be because they always follow through in giving their voice to the democratic process of choosing the nation's next leaders. They believe that elections are great because this country changes leadership without blood, violence, or by overthrowing the government. I, too, believe elections in the United States are great. I would like to thank all you wonderful voters who show up in November to give voice to us all.