Who Votes?

By Raymond E. Wolfinger

Book Overview

Elections are at the heart of the American political system, but in 1976 only 54 percent of the voting age population went to the polls. The question of who votes matters greatly to everyone involved in politics and to all those concerned about the current and future state of American democracy. Based on data from the 1972 and 1974 Census Bureau surveys, Wolfinger and Rosenstone are able to identify for the first time those social and economic groups that are most likely to vote and to explain sensibly and convincingly those factors that influence voter turnout.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300025521
• ISBN13: 9780300025521
• Release Date: September 1980
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 5.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

The definitive work on the determinants of voting in America

Although it is now almost 20 years old, "Who Votes" is still the definitive book on voting in America. Better than anyone Wolfinger and Rosenstone tease out the various factors that make people more or less likely to vote. Along the way they dispose of some myths (blacks don't vote as much as whites, relaxed registration laws benefit Democrats), and give evidence for the validity of others (educated people vote more). Although an academic work, their writing style is clear and readable. Read in conjunction with Anthony Downs' "An Economic Theory of Democracy" (which is much less readable), the two books provide much of what needs to be known about voting in America.