Voter Turnout in Virginia County Elections
Abstract
In this paper I will be examining the factors causing low voter turnout in Virginia county elections. Much of the literature that has to do with voter turnout in elections tends to focus on national elections, such as the presidency, since these elections are believed to be the most important for voters to participate in. Also, data for these elections is relatively easy to access. Many studies also focus on voter turnout in relation to statewide elections, such as for a governor, due to the same reasons as for the presidential elections. They believe these to be more important, as well as more interesting, and thus place more emphasis on their study. What literature there is on local elections, or more broadly local politics, is made up largely of studies conducted in urban settings. I believe that with my research, I will provide an insight into county elections—an area of politics that has received very little study. I choose to examine Virginia because of its unique system of separating counties and cities; also, since I am a lifelong resident of Virginia, I have a vested interest in understanding how elections work in the state. With my research, I hope to provide an insight into not only into the dynamics of local elections in Virginia, but also into the dynamics of local elections across the United States.
Voter Turnout in Virginia County Elections
In this paper I will be examining the factors causing low voter turnout in Virginia county elections. Much of the literature that has to do with voter turnout in elections tends to focus on national elections, such as the presidency, since these elections are believed to be the most important for voters to participate in. Also, data for these elections is relatively easy to access. Many studies also focus on voter turnout in relation to statewide elections, such as for a governor, due to the same reasons as for the presidential elections. They believe these to be more important, as well as more interesting, and thus place more emphasis on their study. What literature there is on local elections, or more broadly local politics, is made up largely of studies conducted in urban settings. I believe that with my research, I will provide an insight into county elections—an area of politics that has received very little study. I choose to examine Virginia because of its unique system of separating counties and cities; also, since I am a lifelong resident of Virginia, I have a vested interest in understanding how elections work in the state. With my research, I hope to provide an insight into not only into the dynamics of local elections in Virginia, but also into the dynamics of local elections across the United States.