According to a survey by the University of Suffolk, about forty percent of U.S. voters, that is, 80 million adult residents of the country, are not going to take part in the presidential election scheduled for November 6, 2012.
According to the poll organizer, if the Americans who didn’t want to go to the polls did vote, most of them would vote for incumbent President Barack Obama.
Many Americans cite their own political apathy as the main reason for their reluctance to vote. For example, to the question: "Who is the US vice president now?" almost 40 million respondents could not answer. And only a few of them recalled that these responsibilities are currently performed by Joe Biden. Sociologists are concerned about this situation, calling it a "terrible phenomenon." They predict election attendance figures close to the presidential election in 2000.
Also, dissatisfaction with a certain category of US residents is caused by the decision of the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He announced his intention to make Congressman Paul Ryan his partner. 42% of voters consider this choice rather weak, 39% approve of Ryan’s candidacy. 48% of respondents said that the congressman, if necessary, can take the post of head of state, and 29% of respondents are convinced that he can’t.
According to observers, Ryan’s candidacy spurred the Republican campaign. But a politician known for radical ideas in the areas of social spending, including healthcare, may cause rejection among some voters.
According to Rosbalt, Mitt Romney presented the candidacy of 42-year-old Ryan to voters on August 11, 2012 in Norfolk, Virginia. At the same time, the candidate for vice presidency criticized Barack Obama's economic program, saying that Romney will return America to its former greatness, since he has extensive experience in the field of economic activity - he was engaged in business himself, creating jobs.
Another reason for the decline in voter turnout is the US voting system itself, which is very archaic and uncomfortable. The winner of the presidential race is determined by the Electoral College. As a result, sometimes it happened that the head of the country was a candidate who would not have won the majority of the vote in the event of a direct vote.
