Overview

A diverse body of research exists to explain why eligible voters don't go to the polls on election day. Theories span from the psychological (nonvoters have limited emotional engagement with politics and therefore lack motivation), to the social (politics is inherently social and nonvoters have limited networks), and the personal (nonvoters tend to be young, less educated, poor, and highly mobile). Other scholars suggest that people don't vote because campaigns are uninspiring. This book poses a new theory: uncertainty about the national context at the time of the election. During times of national crisis, when uncertainty is high, citizens are motivated to sort through information about each candidate to figure out which would best mitigate their uncertainty. When external uncertainty is low, however, citizens spend less time learning about candidates and are equally unmotivated to vote. The American Nonvoter examines how uncertainty regarding changing economic conditions, dramatic national events, and U.S. international interventions influences people's decisions whether to vote or not. Using rigorous statistical tools and rich historical stories, Lyn Ragsdale and Jerrold G. Rusk test this theory on aggregate nonvoting patterns in the United States across presidential and midterm elections from 1920 to 2012. The authors also challenge the stereotype of nonvoters as poor, uneducated and apathetic. Instead, the book shows that nonvoters are, by and large, as politically knowledgeable as voters, but see no difference between candidates or view them negatively.

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9780190670740

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Reviews

"""Ragsdale and Rusk combine rigorous empirical analysis with rich historical detail to explain the evolution of turnout in U.S. elections over the last century. The book is a major contribution to the study of American electoral politics. It is a must-read for students of voting and elections."" --Erik Engstrom, University of California, Davis ""Lyn Ragsdale and Jerrold Rusk's The American Nonvoter is an important and fascinating volume. It demonstrates how major change in the national political-economic environment can heighten or reduce individuals' uncertainty, which in turn affects their willingness to seek campaign information and cast their ballots."" --Marjorie Randon Hershey, Indiana University ""Ragsdale and Rusk convincingly argue that voter uncertainty about the state of the nation drives nonvoting in presidential and midterm elections. This insightful book combines rich historical detail and survey analysis of nearly a century of America's national elections."" --Sam Kernell, University of California, San Diego ""An innovative, comprehensive, and engaging investigation of a much maligned feature of American democracy. Ragsdale and Rusk make a fascinating case for uncertainty as a stimulant for voting turnout in American elections."" --Helmut Norpoth, Stony Brook University ""In a landmark study of political participation, Ragsdale and Rusk uncover several important explanations for nonvoting in US elections. An abundance of important findings-all derived from careful research-make this an essential volume for all scholars of US politics."" --CHOICE Lyn Ragsdale and Jerrold Rusk look explicitly at those who do not vote, a clever perspective shift that illuminates gaps in our thinking...[This work] gives the most complete picture to date of who does and does not vote and why."" - Shauna L. Shames, Perspectives on Politics"

Author Information

Lyn Ragsdale is Radoslav A. Tsanoff Professor of Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Rice University. Jerrold G. Rusk is Professor of Political Science at Rice University.

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