Title: Why People Vote | Boundless Political Science
Headings: Why People Vote
Why People Vote
Socioeconomic Factors
Key Points
Key Terms
Introduction
Income and Voting
Education and Voting
Occupation and Voting
Additional Factors: Gender, Age, Religion, Race, and Ethnicity
Key Points
Key Terms
Age and Political Participation
Gender and Political Participation
Race, Ethnicity, and Voting: African Americans
Race, Ethnicity and Voting: Latinos
Race, Ethnicity, and Voting: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Religious Convictions and Voting
Party Identification
Key Points
Key Terms
Party Self-Identification
Party Identity: A Fixed Social Identity?
Party Identity: A Changing Choice?
Increase in Independents
Groups and Party Identification
Strong Party Identification and Voting Patterns
Political Ideology
Key Points
Key Terms
Voting Based on Ideology
Conservatives and Liberals
Moderates
Libertarians
Typological Groups
The Candidates
Key Points
Key Terms
Partisan Dealignment
Candidates’ Images and Voting
Policy Preferences
Key Points
Key Terms
Issue Voting
Complications with Issue Voting
Licenses and Attributions

Content: Since 1986, women have exceeded the turnout rate for men in presidential elections; 66 percent of women cast a ballot in 2008 compared with 62 percent of men. This may be due to the political prominence of issues of importance to women, such as abortion, education, and child welfare. Race, Ethnicity, and Voting: African Americans
Participation and voting differs among members of racial and ethnic groups. Discriminatory practices kept the turnout rate of African-Americans low until after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation kept black voters from the polls. Eventually, civil rights protests and litigation eliminated many barriers to voting. Today, black citizens vote at least as often as white citizens who share the same socioeconomic status. Collectively, African Americans are more involved in the American political process than other minority groups in the United States, indicated by the highest level of voter registration and participation in elections among these groups in 2004.