September 2000 Bread for the World is a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers. In doing so, we will choose the people who will set our country's political course for years to come. Our new president and Congress, working together, will enact laws, determine budget priorities, reapportion congressional districts among the states, fill any vacancies that occur on the Supreme Court, and make other crucial decisions on our country's behalf.
Voting is one of our most important and cherished responsibilities.
Yet there has been a downward trend in voter participation over the past four decades. Nationwide, the voter turnout in presidential elections declined 14 percent between 1960 and 1996. For mid-term elections, turnout stayed at around 35 percent for the past two decades. The United States now ranks 139th of 167 democracies around the world in voter participation. There is little consensus about the reasons for voter disengagement, but most analysts agree that political scandal, distrust of campaign finance, and partisan gridlock have all taken their toll on society, further hardening voter apathy.