ABSTRACT
Free and contested elections are critical to all definitions that distinguish democratic systems from other forms of government. Voting typifies the way in which most people take part in democratic politics. Indeed, in the democracies of Western Europe and North America, going to the polls is the most frequent form of political participation. This chapter explores how some political scientists analyze a typical problem in their field. Political scientists differ, as well, on the relative importance of theoretical scope, precisely determined statistical measures of association, and the ability to present a coherent historical narrative as definitions of explanation. The political scientists also include information on the motives and psychological attributes of voters. G. Bingham Powell structures his analysis around the resolution of a paradox: "Americans seem to be more politically aware and involved than citizens in any other democracy, yet the levels of voter turnout in the United States are consistently far below the average".
