Voter Turnout Resources

The source for the comparative voter turnout figures I presented in class is the International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization whose aim is to "support democracy worldwide." IDEA's voter turnout data are available here.

This New York Times "Freakonomics" column offers an interesting take on the subject of why voters vote (or don't, as is often the case) and how we might improve voter turnout in the US. Also interesting are some of the letters readers wrote to the editor in response to the article's "rationalist" explanation for voter turnout; see here, here, here, here, here, and here.