Moderation in all things except voting

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Critical Analysis

1. According to the data from the chart above, who is more ideologically extreme, the average American or the average likely voter?

2. According to the data from the chart above, what ideological group is most likely to vote?

3. What is the big story these charts tell?

4. Why do you think ideologically extreme people tend to vote more than ideological moderates?

5. What is one consequence of this information?

6. What effects do you imagine this information had on the 2020 elections?

7. Is there any mechanism in the way Americans vote that helps amplify the extreme vote?

8. Describe one aspect of the U.S. Constitution built to moderate the will of the people.

9. How do your own ideological leanings and likelihood of voting compare to the chart?

10. Only about 1/4 of moderate Americans actually vote. In the comments section, tell moderate U.S. voters whether they should vote or not:

Learning Extension

Read this Pew Report on extreme voters.

Action Extension

Contact one of the two major U.S. political parties- the Democratic Party or the Republican Party and explain to them whether it would benefit them to run more extreme or more moderate candidates.

Visual Extension