• POL201 • Discussions • Week 5 - Discussion Voter and Voter Turnout Prepare: Prior to completing this discussion question, review Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in American Government and review Week Five Instructor Guidance. Also read the following articles: How Voter ID Laws Are Being Used to Disenfranchise Minorities and the Poor (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Fraught with Fraud (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and Proof at the Polls (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Reflect: The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among modern democratic political systems. One study ranks the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared on voter turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). During the last decade, many initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter participation, yet concerns about the possibility of election fraud have also increased. Additionally, some political interests feel threatened by the increase in turnout among some traditionally low-turnout ethnic minorities. Several states have recently passed legislation imposing new registration and identification requirements. This has sparked debate about whether these are tactics intended to suppress turnout or to prevent fraud. Think about the media’s role in the election process and how both mass media and social media can impact the election process. Write: In your initial post, summarize recent developments in several states enacting voter ID laws. Analyze and describe the pros and cons on both sides of the debate about these laws. Is voter fraud a major problem for our democracy or are some groups trying to make it harder for some segments of society to vote? What impact has the media (mass and social) had in influencing public opinion regarding voter ID laws? Draw your own conclusion about the debate over voter ID laws and justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be at least 300 words. Support your position with at least two of the assigned resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library databases. Include APA in-text citations (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in the body of your post and full citations on the references list (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at the end. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly. .

1. • POL201 • Discussions • Week 5 - Discussion
Voter and Voter Turnout
Prepare: Prior to completing this discussion question, review
Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in American Government and review
Week Five Instructor Guidance. Also read the following
articles: How Voter ID Laws Are Being Used to Disenfranchise
Minorities and the Poor (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site., Fraught with Fraud (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site., and Proof at the Polls (Links to
an external site.)Links to an external site.
Reflect: The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates
among modern democratic political systems. One study ranks
the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared on voter
turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). During the last
decade, many initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter
participation, yet concerns about the possibility of election
fraud have also increased. Additionally, some political interests
feel threatened by the increase in turnout among some
traditionally low-turnout ethnic minorities. Several states have
recently passed legislation imposing new registration and
identification requirements. This has sparked debate about
whether these are tactics intended to suppress turnout or to
prevent fraud. Think about the media’s role in the election
process and how both mass media and social media can impact
the election process.
Write: In your initial post, summarize recent developments in

2. several states enacting voter ID laws. Analyze and describe the
pros and cons on both sides of the debate about these laws. Is
voter fraud a major problem for our democracy or are some
groups trying to make it harder for some segments of society to
vote? What impact has the media (mass and social) had in
influencing public opinion regarding voter ID laws? Draw your
own conclusion about the debate over voter ID laws and justify
your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. Fully
respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in
your own words. Your initial post must be at least 300 words.
Support your position with at least two of the assigned
resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed
scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library databases.
Include APA in-text citations (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site. in the body of your post and full citations on
the references list (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site. at the end. Support your position with APA
citations from two or more of the assigned resources required
for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate
understanding of these resources, integrate them into your
argument, and cite them properly.