The Wealth Voting Gap

AP US Government and Politics

What income group is most likely to vote in the US?

US Census Bureau

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What most surprised you about this data?

3. What is the big story this data tells?

4. Why do you think that is?

5. What is one consequence of this?

6. Is this good news?

7. What are two reasons that wealthier people tend to vote more than other groups?

8. What are two reasons that poorer people tend to vote less than other groups?

9. It would be fair to say that the more money you have the more likely you are to vote. What other generalizations can we make about U.S. voting patterns or trends?

10. How did this information affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election?

11. How will this information affect the outcome of the 2018 midterm election?

12. What party do you think the more wealthy voters tend to support? Some would argue that it is better that wealthier people vote more than poorer people. What would you say about this?

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Learning Extension

Read this article in DEMOS about why the voting gap matters

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Action Extension

In the U.S. we have a two-step voting process. 1)Register to vote. 2)Vote. Take care of step 1 at your school. Follow these instructions from the non-partisan AAUW and hold a voter registration drive. Share your results in class or online.