Average voter turnout in primaries is down 14 percent from 1996, falling to the lowest level ever in the 16 states that have held two-party primaries this year. The national trend suggests, many experts say, that turnout in November's general election will be lower than in 1996, when voter participation fell below 50 percent for the first time since 1924. In Georgia, the last time a majority of voters voted in a presidential election was in 1876. We now have an electorate of the interested and the zealous and both of those pose a serious threat to our democracy. Apathy beyond ballot box The downward trend, visible at the ballot box for the past 40 years, extends to other aspects of civic life as well.
Fewer people report that they are paying attention to candidates and what they are talking about.
Fewer say they are closely watching the activities of government and confidence in government has dropped nearly 40 points since the 1960s. The number of people who belong to local community groups and civic organizations has been inching down for 20 years, according to data compiled by the National Commission on Civic Renewal. The forces propelling voter retreat from the public square are numerous. Critics of the money-driven campaign system, which requires candidates to raise and spend vast sums, argue that voters believe that it is money, not voting, that influences their elected representatives. Campaign reform advocates believe that American campaigning in the 1990s, with its emphasis on attack advertising, packaged campaign slogans and candidates who shun direct contact with voters, is to blame.