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 | | ARCHIVES 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | Government Issue #21.22 :: 05/28/2008 - 06/03/2008 Progressive Network Working to Revive Democratic Process U.S. Voter Turnout Rate 139th Worldwide | By Nick McCormac
Depending on what it applies to, being ranked 139th in the world might not seem like a bad thing. But that is exactly where the United States stands in voter participation.
To put it in perspective, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance says that since 1945, the United States has had a lower voter turnout rate than Myanmar (137th), Gambia (125th) and Kazakhstan (88th).
And in South Carolina, which ranks 40th in the United States in voter turnout, only half of eligible voters went to the polls in the 2004 presidential election.
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| First-time voter Eric Gantt, 18, casts his ballot at Benedict College in Columbia during the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina on Jan. 26. Photo by Jonathan Sharpe |
Getting more people involved in the democratic process is one of the main goals of the South Carolina Progressive Network, which plans to hold its 12th annual spring meeting Saturday at the Communication Workers of America hall at 566 Chris Drive in West Columbia, near U.S. 1 and Interstate 26.
The Progressive Network, a nonpartisan umbrella organization of activist groups and individuals across South Carolina, focuses on promoting social and economic change and getting people involved in the democratic process.
Brett Bursey, director of the network, says that one focus of the organization is to boost voter participation. “Turnout rates are just abysmal, so our goal is to show people why they need to vote and give them a reason to vote,” Bursey says.
In 2004, the network established the Missing Voter Project, a high-tech system that compares voter registration lists with Census data to identify areas in South Carolina with low rates of voter registration.
“Unregistered voters tend to cluster in Census blocks, so we identify these groups and then educate them on the democratic process,” Bursey says.
The hope is that helping to educate unregistered voters about candidates who will fight for their priorities will give those people a reason to get involved.
Corry Stevenson, director of the grassroots community organizing group South Carolina United Action, echoes Bursey’s concerns about people getting involved. “Democracy means that local communities have the opportunity to hold government and corporate decision makers accountable for fair policies and practices,” Stevenson writes in a letter to Free Times.
The Progressive Network has proposed several state legislative bills designed to accomplish that through voting.
One of the bills would establish early voting centers, which would afford voters more time and convenience in casting their ballots.
One concern often voiced about making registration and voting easier is that it could lead to voter fraud.
This point is refuted in a report from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.
The study, titled “The Truth About Voter Fraud,” finds that an individual is more likely to be struck by lighting than to have their identity stolen for the purpose of voting.
“Some legislators want voters to present passports or birth certificates just to register,” Bursey says. “How is that fair?”
More information about the Missing Voter Project and Saturday’s meeting, which is open to the public, can be found at the network’s web site, scpronet.com. | |
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