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Homeowners significantly outnumber renters among regular voters. Until and unless that changes policy is going to be by and for incumbent homeowners.

bobthepanda 3y ago
One solution to this that’s being explored in several states is to move that policy to the state level, where the effect is less pronounced. (Participation rates are higher the higher-level an election is.)
throwaway2037 3y ago
Hat tip to this post. Google tells me from searching "us percentage of home ownership": In 2022, the proportion of households which are occupied by owners stood at 65.9 percent. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/184902/homeownership-rate-in-the-us-since-2003/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/184902/homeownership-rat... Renters are politically invisible in the United States due to the economic situation. Rent will continue to rise to unsustainable levels and nothing will done. As Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway #2) says: "Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome."
- munificent 3y ago
  > Renters are politically invisible in the United States due to the economic situation. Given how razor thin election margins are, ~33% of the population is far from a invisible class.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > ~33% of the population is far from a invisible class For a variety of reasons, "buying a home leads individuals to participate substantially more in local elections, on average" [1]. Outside New York City, which unsurprisingly has solid tenant protections, American renters do not vote as frequently. [1] https://andrewbenjaminhall.com/homeowner.pdf https://andrewbenjaminhall.com/homeowner.pdf
  - jandrese 3y ago
    However, they are a class that is relatively easy to disenfranchise. In fact many already are since minorities who live in cities are far more likely to rent than the average suburban or rural voter and we already have plenty of systems in place to disenfranchise them.
    - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
      > they are a class that is relatively easy to disenfranchise Correct. Dated, but related and a classic: "We find that neither demographic nor attitudinal attributes explain [people who have recently moved's] lower turnout. Instead, the requirement that citizens must register anew after each change in residence constitutes the key stumbling block in the trip to the polls. Since nearly one-third of the nation moves every two years, moving has a large impact on national turnout rates." The authors suggested "linking the maintenance of registration to an action that is usually an intrinsic part of moving" such as the "change-of-address notice at a local post office." Interestingly, "holding elections on Sunday, making election day a holiday, or extending the hours that the polls are open...are designed to facilitate people who are registered" and would thus "do little to improve turnout." https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/residential-mobility-and-voter-turnout/101B4BBEE7BA0EC891E39CB76EDE4C49 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-s...
- tmnvix 3y ago
  > In 2022, the proportion of households which are occupied by owners stood at 65.9 percent. This is different from the proportion of adults in the US that own a home. Many non-homeowners live in an owner occupied residence.

bobthepanda 3y ago

One solution to this that’s being explored in several states is to move that policy to the state level, where the effect is less pronounced. (Participation rates are higher the higher-level an election is.)

throwaway2037 3y ago

Hat tip to this post. Google tells me from searching "us percentage of home ownership": In 2022, the proportion of households which are occupied by owners stood at 65.9 percent. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/184902/homeownership-rate-in-the-us-since-2003/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/184902/homeownership-rat... Renters are politically invisible in the United States due to the economic situation. Rent will continue to rise to unsustainable levels and nothing will done. As Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway #2) says: "Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome."

munificent 3y ago
> Renters are politically invisible in the United States due to the economic situation. Given how razor thin election margins are, ~33% of the population is far from a invisible class.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > ~33% of the population is far from a invisible class For a variety of reasons, "buying a home leads individuals to participate substantially more in local elections, on average" [1]. Outside New York City, which unsurprisingly has solid tenant protections, American renters do not vote as frequently. [1] https://andrewbenjaminhall.com/homeowner.pdf https://andrewbenjaminhall.com/homeowner.pdf
- jandrese 3y ago
  However, they are a class that is relatively easy to disenfranchise. In fact many already are since minorities who live in cities are far more likely to rent than the average suburban or rural voter and we already have plenty of systems in place to disenfranchise them.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > they are a class that is relatively easy to disenfranchise Correct. Dated, but related and a classic: "We find that neither demographic nor attitudinal attributes explain [people who have recently moved's] lower turnout. Instead, the requirement that citizens must register anew after each change in residence constitutes the key stumbling block in the trip to the polls. Since nearly one-third of the nation moves every two years, moving has a large impact on national turnout rates." The authors suggested "linking the maintenance of registration to an action that is usually an intrinsic part of moving" such as the "change-of-address notice at a local post office." Interestingly, "holding elections on Sunday, making election day a holiday, or extending the hours that the polls are open...are designed to facilitate people who are registered" and would thus "do little to improve turnout." https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/residential-mobility-and-voter-turnout/101B4BBEE7BA0EC891E39CB76EDE4C49 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-s...
tmnvix 3y ago
> In 2022, the proportion of households which are occupied by owners stood at 65.9 percent. This is different from the proportion of adults in the US that own a home. Many non-homeowners live in an owner occupied residence.