Do you think a survey of voter participation in the United States and the factors that influence higher or?

Voter Turnout Chart

http://elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm

Voter Turnout Factors

**A critical factor in voter turnout is having a reason to vote. When voters believe key issues are at stake, they want a say in the outcome.

**In 2004, close to ten million eligible and interested voters did not or could not vote due to outmoded voting practices, avoidable errors or confusing procedures that vary in all 50 states and the majority of counties, cities and even towns. (examples given on link)

1. An estimated three million voters could not or did not vote because of registration problems...

2. About one million citizen-age voters were barred from voting because of a past conviction, despite the abundance of evidence that identifies voting as a way for ex-offenders to re-connect with their communities and to decrease recidivism.

3. Several million votes are lost in every major election due to poor election administration that results from underinvestment, low standards, and partisan interference in the election process. Well-documented problems with equipment, poll worker hiring and training, and lines also contribute to ballot losses.

**Voter mobilization is a critical turnout factor, inevitably tied to the level of competition in an election and issues at stake. It is also inevitably impacted by election barriers and voter confidence in the voting process, or by who is doing the mobilizing and the amount and type of messengers involved....

**Someone who has been personally contacted, especially by someone they know, is more likely to vote than someone who has not.

**Those who grow up around family members who vote and discuss politics frequently are more likely to vote themselves. Simply talking about current events with friends and relatives can generate interest in the political process and encourage someone to vote. The influence of family, friends and trusted organizations are particularly important to first-time voters. (see graph charts on link)

**Education has always been a significant factor in a person’s likelihood of voting. The more educated the person is, the more likely it is that they will vote.

**People are less likely to vote if they don’t believe that their vote will be counted, or if they don’t trust the government. A loss of faith in the electoral process leads to a belief that a person's vote doesn't really matter. Accountable elections and a responsive government help to ensure that voters stay engaged in the process.

http://www.nonprofitvote.org/index.php/Voter-Turno...

I haven't seen any statistics, so I'm just guessing, but I think there are two main groups of people who are eligible to vote, but don't: the cynics (like myself) who are so discouraged with the system that it seems beyond hope, and the couch potatoes who are just too lazy to think about politics. If the cynics were forced to vote, they would naturally vote for some serious reforms, because they sincerely want the system to be better. If the couch potatoes were forced to vote, they would decide their vote based on which candidate (or side of an issue) had the best advertisement. Unfortunately, I think the couch potatoes far outnumber the cynics. I must agree with stephen m that forcing voter participation would be a step in the wrong direction.