Sociology

Voting is an important aspect of American life for it provides the decision of who will rule and who will stay in the sidelines. In fact, voting is not only important in America but also in all other countries around the globe as its results provide a set of individuals with the power to lead hundreds or even billions of people toward, presumably, greater developments.

However, not everyone has the same perspectives when it comes to voting. There are various influences which affect the voting attitudes of different individuals. It must be understood that people have different beliefs and perspectives, which is why there are certain disparities in voter participation. Aspects such as age, race, gender, and income can affect the voting attitudes of various individuals.
Sometimes, these influences can either increase or decrease voter participation in fact, sometimes, an individual may not even vote at all because of such influences. It could be assumed that some individuals do not vote because of registration problems, or perhaps they simply do not prefer the present candidates. However, in this paper, what will be explored are the variables which affect voter participation, such as age, race, gender, and income, and how such differences are vital in understanding the voting population. This paper aims to discuss how and why such variables affect the voting attitudes of various individuals, for this will enable an understanding on why certain groups of individuals take certain perspectives and certain voting attitudes. This is vital because it will provide insight on how such individuals perceive the voting process and the current political system of the United States.

Why Age Affects Voter Participation
According to Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt (2010), age is a vital factor in determining the voter turnout during Election Day. It is suggested that voter turnout with older individuals is higher than the turnout with the younger generation. Apparently, older voters are far more settled in their lives, are already registered, and have had more time to recognize voting as an expected activity (Bardes et al., 2010, p. 314).

In fact, political scientists have stated that the youngest voters are among those smallest voting proportion (Maisel  Buckley, 2005). According to Kaufmann, Petrocik, and Shaw (2008), the turnout rates among young voters from 1980 to 2004 reveal that young American voters, in actuality, do not vote. If they do vote, the voting population of young voters is largely anemic. It is stated that younger voters do not like any of the political parties and they also do not care about the voting during the elections. In fact, it could easily be said that the younger population in America are very reluctant in participating during U.S elections. With this kind of voting attitude, political parties have less chances of reaching out to the young voters than to those individuals who are out of school and are working (Kaufmann et al., 2008).

The question now is Why are the young voters reluctant to vote In analysis, it could be simply stated that the younger generation is disinterested because politicians fail to address their concerns. Young voters want to be able to discuss issues which they actually care about such as policies regarding their own education. Apart from this, young voters are less rooted in the community compared to the older generation who understands the voting process as something which could greatly affect everyones potential lives in America (Kaufmann et al., 2008).

Gender and the Voting Process
The gender gap is vital to American politics for it has become large that it actually can create party coalitions which would define social cleavage (Whitaker, 2008, p.1). Before the 1980s, political scientists found little evidence to indicate that men and women have different political attitudes. However, in 1980, preceding Ronald Reagans election, political scientists were able to detect that there exist gender differences in voting attitudes and beliefs (Bardes et al., 2010). In a manner of speaking, it could be said that indeed, the differences in men and women extend to more aspects than could actually be determined. In fact, gender gaps have become very visible in various aspects of politics in America. There are certain differences when it comes to vote choice for who will become president, party identification, and opinions regarding policies. Gender also affects positions on social, moral, and economic issues (Dolan, 2008).

For instance, according to a Gallup survey, women are more likely to support Democratic candidates while men are more likely to support candidates from the Republican Party. In 2002, around 55 percent of women preferred the Democratic Partys candidates, while 43 percent of men preferred candidates from the Republican Party (Bardes et al., 2010).

Also, women appear to have different attitudes and beliefs from their male counterparts on several political and social issues other than presidential preferences when it comes to voting. It was stated that most women are more likely to be against capital punishment and the use of American military forces in other countries. Apart from this, women are found to approve more of social welfare and extending civil rights to lesbians and gay men than most men are (Bardes et al., 2010).

Income Level and Voting
Family income is a strong predictor of economic liberalism or conservatism. Those with low income tend to favor government action to benefit the poor or to promote economic equality. Those with high incomes tend to oppose government intervention in the economy or to support it only when it benefits business. The rich tend toward the right the poor tend toward the left (Bardes et al., 2010).

Wealthier people tend to be overrepresented among voters who turn out on Election Day. In recent presidential elections, voter turnout for those with the highest family incomes has approached three times the turnout of those with the lowest annual family incomes (314).

In May 2008, immediately before the Indiana presidential primary, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Indianas law requiring voters to show a photo identification (ID) card at the polls is constitutional. However, this proved to be a barrier because while those with appropriate funds may be able to afford proper documentation, the same could not be said for individuals who are from poor families. They may lack the money and the time to be able to secure acceptable documentation (Bardes et al., 2010).

In analysis, it could be said that people whom have lower income find it far that they are disinterested to vote unless the current candidate is someone who will be able to provide them with the kind of needs that they need. In contrast, people who have a higher income find it easier to vote for if they vote, they can somehow influence how the economy will fare for them and their businesses. Apart from this, most individuals whom have lesser income have lesser chances of being educated, which means that there are larger chances that they do not understand the difference voting could do for them, whereas rich people who are educated understand how voting could benefit them (Kraemer, Newell,  Prindle, 2009).

Race, Ethnicity and Voting
African-Americans
Race and ethnicity are important in determining the level of voter turnout. In 2006, non-Hispanic whites voted at a 51-6 rate, whereas African American turnout rate was 41.0 percent. However, since an African American ran for presidency in 2008, the black turnout rate increased significantly (Bardes et al., 2010, p.314).

African-Americans have various perspectives and beliefs which affect their voting preferences. Even though they live in the same country, blacks are known to be more liberal on some issues than whites and tend to be more conservative on some issues than whites (Corbett  Corbett, 1999). Specifically, blacks are conservative when it comes to issues such as euthanasia and the Supreme Courts school prayer decision. However, when it comes to issues regarding divorce, laws regarding gun control, capital punishment, and pornography, blacks are more liberal than most white Americans (Corbett  Corbett, 1999). Blacks are also politically liberal (Corbett  Corbett, 1999), especially when it comes to economic issues (compared to white Americans), and this explains their preferences in voting and in candidates (Corbett  Corbett, 1999).

Also, it is stated that black women are more likely to vote than black men. The explanation for this is that it is the expressed outcome of their dual oppression as Blacks and as women (Tate, 1994, p. 86). Most of their concerns and issues involve home ownership, political interest, and income. While it could be said that black women do not entirely participate more than their African American men, it is stated that most African American women are more interested in political campaigns, more engaged in politics, and more partisan. Apart from these, African American women have higher numbers when it comes to voter registration (Tate, 1994).

Latinos
It is suggested that ethnicity is a large factor when it comes to voting preferences and attitudes since it influences partisanship. Latinos of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent are attached to the Democratic Party because of what occurred in the 1930s. Apparently, during the 1930s, the Democratic Party began supporting policies which are favorable to various minority groups such as the Latinos. This eventually led to the Latinos solidification of their support to the Democratic Party (Graves  Lee, 2000).

Apart from the historical background of Latinos and the Democratic Party, Latinos prefer that a fellow Latino be on position, leading them to create favorable impressions of those of their kind than those who are not of their kind. Most Latinos evaluate the qualities of candidates and see to it that such qualities are in line with what they (the Latinos) believe in. Ethnic-related issues such as immigration control, guest workers, and bilingualism are important when Latinos make voting decisions (Graves  Lee, 2000).

By 2000, Latino voters, composed around 8 percent of the United States electorate, and were actively courted by both the Democratic and Republican parties. However, by 2004, only about 57 percent of the Latino voting population actually voted. This is because most of the members of the Latino community feel alienated from US politics (Roll  Irwin, 2008).
Apart from this, most Latinos feel that they are powerless, and that they are unable to affect the results therefore, it will be useless to vote. Latinos are rather cynical when it comes to the United States democratic processes, for they believe that the electoral process in America is easily manipulated by voter intimidation and election fraud. The Latino community also widely believes that most of the potential candidates are corrupt, and if they vote, such candidates are more likely to cause more harm than good (Roll  Irwin, 2008).

Conclusion
In analysis of the aforementioned information, it could be said that there are indeed various variables which affect voter participation. When it comes to age, the older generation is much more able to relate to politics than the younger generation for they have far more experiences as being part of the community. Perhaps, it could be assumed that the younger generation is apathetic to social and political issues, or that politicians do not address their needs properly. Another factor that affects voter participation is gender. Studies have shown that most men prefer the Republicans whereas women prefer the Democrats. Different genders, as described in the previous discussion, have certain beliefs and goals, and these will eventually affect their voting attitudes. Income is also a factor for it enables an individual (or a group of people) push his or her (or their) personal motives. Individuals with less income would prefer candidates who will aid them in improving their current socioeconomic status while those with higher income would prefer candidates who will enable them to achieve higher states of power or influence. Also, race and ethnicity are important factors when it comes to voting attitudes. In fact, it could also be said that the history of a given race or ethnic group (such as African Americans and Latinos) can affect how they perceive the world of politics. The aforementioned factors need to be understood for these are variables that affect American politics, and even the future of America. While there are various differences, it could be said that these factors all fall into the common goal of being able to see an America where ones needs are met.