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During the semester, I shall post course material and students will comment on it. Students are also free to comment on any aspect of American politics, either current or historical. There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see. Syllabus: http://gov20h.blogspot.com/2023/08/draft-introduction-to-american-politics.html

Monday, November 5, 2007

The Mechanics of Elections

When you discuss voter participation, be careful to distinguish turnout as a percentage of
  • Registered voters,
  • Voting-age population (VAP), and
  • Voter-eligible population (VEP).

VAP on includes many people who cannot legally vote, such as aliens and felons. (See here for felon disenfranchisement laws.) One can argue that VEP gives a more accurate picture of participation. See graph of 1944-2004 and a 2006 data table. The Census Bureau has very comprehensive data on the demographics of turnout.

As for the ballots themselves, see this recent news story.

The Rose Institute has its own redistricting Hall of Shame. You have already made your own additions by using The Redistricting Game.

You may work out alternative electoral college scenarios at this site.

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