On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 21:01:07 -0800 (PST), Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > What's your evidence? Mine is pretty simple. Right > now we're at war. Turnout was high. In 1968 we were > at war. Turnout was high. In 1864 we were in the > middle of a Civil War, and turnout was _unbelievably_ > high. Presumably people are not happy in the US when > we are at war. When people are unhappy they vote. In > 1988 and 1996, by contrast, we were not at war and the > economy was booming, and turnout was low. I think I > have a story here that has considerable empirical > support.
Do you think it is unhappiness explicitly at being at war that drives the high turnout? What about other types of unhappiness, such as the economic misery of the Great Depression or in 1980? If those weren't high-turnout periods, perhaps it's not unhappiness itself, but the inherent serious nature of war that makes people more inclined to vote because they are more aware of and concerned about their leadership? I know I certainly cared far, far more about leadership direction and especially foreign policy this year than I did in, say, 2000. Did WWI, WWII, and the Korean War also have high voter turnouts? _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
