Herb Kohl: “I rise to discuss a disturbing trend in our democracy--the decline of voter turnout in our elections. During the past 2…”

“I rise to discuss a disturbing trend in our democracy--the decline of voter turnout in our elections. During the past 2 years we have debated at length our campaign finance system. We have seen in ample detail the corrupting influences invading our elections, and the effect these stories are having on the American public. Voters are increasingly distrustful of their system of government. They have lost confidence in America's institutions, its leaders, and its electoral process. The Senate is taking steps to reform the campaign finance system, and I am hopeful that before the spring we will have a campaign finance reform bill to present to the American public. But there are other reforms which we can undertake to restore citizens' faith in our democracy and increase participation in elections. For decades we've seen a gradual decline in voter turnout. In 1952, about 63 percent of eligible voters came out to vote--that number dropped to about 49 percent in the 1996 election. Non-Presidential year voter turnout is even more abysmal. Analysts point to a variety of reasons for this dropoff. Certainly, common sense suggests that the general decline in voter confidence in government institutions is one logical reason. However, I'd like to point out, one survey of voters and nonvoters suggested that both groups are equally disgruntled with government. We must explore ways to make our electoral process more user friendly.”