Increasing Voter Turnout Rates in the United States : Moving Forward from the National Voter Registration Act of 1993

The United States tends to have low voter turnout in elections when compared with other established democracies. This research examines this trend through analyzing current voter turnout statistics, identifying which specific demographics are not voting, determining the major reasons why citizens are not voting and looking at the implications of not having the voices of these citizens heard. The paper looks at the last time Congress addressed this issue with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the act and finds that it did not have the desired effect of increasing voter turnout. Several more recent voter mobilization campaigns are then identified and their approaches to increasing voter turnout are discussed. The paper concludes with providing a seven step strategy developed from an analysis of the research to guide Congress when it next chooses to address the voter turnout issue legislatively.