ELECTIONS

Political Participation Forms of political participation

Voting in elections is most common form of political participation Is basis of democratic process According to democratic theory, everyone should be allowed

to vote, but in practice all nations have requirements for voting

Discussing politics and attending political meetings Forming interest groups and PACs Contacting public officials Campaigning for a candidate or political party Contributing $ to a candidate or political party Running for office

Most of these are considered conventional or routine

Less conventional methods are used when groups feel powerless or ineffective Americans are less approving, but can be

effective in influencing government Protesting government decisions

Can be violent – like protests against the Vietnam War convinced LBJ to not run for reelection in 1968

The Internet – a single gaffe can cause major problems for a candidate – especially things that can be posted by supporters of the opposing candidate

Expansion of Suffrage

Suffrage: right to vote Political right that belongs to all those who meet

certain requirements set by law The US was the first nation to provide for general

elections of representatives through mass suffrage

Issue of suffrage is left to the states Only stipulation: individuals who could vote for “the

most numerous branch of the state legislature” could also vote for their Congressional representatives

Composition of the electorate (eligible, registered voters) has changed throughout history 2 major trends:

Elimination of restrictive requirements Transfer of more authority from states

Changes in voting requirements include: Elimination of religious qualifications, property

ownership, and tax payments after 1800

Elimination of race disqualifications with the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870

Elimination of gender disqualifications with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920

Elimination of grandfather clauses, white primaries, literacy requirements w/ the passage offederal civil rights legislation and court decisions (Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Act of 1965)

Allowing DC residents to vote in presidential elections with the passage of the 23rd Amendment in 1961

Elimination of poll taxes in federal elections w/ the passage of the 24th Amendment in 1964 (all poll taxes were ruled unconstitutional in Harper v Virginia State Board of Elections, 1966)

Lowering the minimum age for voting in federal elections to 18 w/ the passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971

Issue or Policy Voting Thanks to the Progressive Movement of early 20th

century – mechanisms for increased direct participation Direct primary: allows citizens to nominate candidates

Recall: special election initiated by petition to allow citizens to remove an official from office before a term expires

Referendum: allows citizens to vote directly on issues called propositions (proposed laws or state constitutional amendments)

Initiative: allows voters to petition to propose issues to be decided by qualified voters

Low Voter Turnout

Studies show voter turnout in US has decreased when compared w/ other nations and when compared w/ the US over time

Turnout is higher if: Election is

seen as important

It’s a presidential election, not an off-year

Reasons to account for low voter turnout: Expansion of electorate – increase in the

number of potential voters (26th Amendment)

Failure of political parties to mobilize voters – negative campaigning, numerous elections, frequent elections, lack of party identification

No perceived differences between the candidates or parties – both parties & their candidates are seen as virtually the same

Mistrust of gov’t – belief that all candidates are untrustworthy or unresponsive (partially due to Watergate, Iran-Contra scandals)

Apathy – lack of interest in politics; belief that voting is not important

Satisfaction with the way things are – belief that not voting will keep the status quo

Lack of political efficacy – people do not believe their vote out of millions cast will make a difference

Mobility of electorate – moving around leads to a lack of social belonging

Registration process – differences in registration procedures from state to state may create barriers; National Voter Registration Act of 1995 (Motor Voter Law) was designed to

make registration easier by allowing people to register at drivers’ license bureaus & some public offices

Who Votes?

Factors that affect likelihood of voting: Education – higher level of education, more likely a person to

vote Most important indicator of voting behavior

Occupation & income – often depend on education; white-collar jobs & higher levels of income are more likely to vote than those w/ blue-collar jobs or lower levels of income

Age – older people are more likely to vote than youth

Race – minorities are less likely to vote than whites, unless they have similar socioeconomic status

Gender – women more likely to vote than men At one time gender was not a major predictor

Religion – those who are more active w/in their religion are more likely to vote than those who rarely or do not attend services

Marital status – married people are more likely to vote than singles

Union membership – unions encourage participation, members tend to vote regularly

Community membership – those well integrated into community life are more likely to vote than those who have moved recently

Party identification – those w/ a strong sense of party identification are more likely to vote

Geography – residents of states w/ interparty competition & close elections may be more likely to vote than those who live in states w/ one-party identification

Partisanship in Elections

Maintaining elections: traditional majority power maintains power based on the party loyalty of voters

Deviating elections: minority party is able to win w/ support of majority-party members, independents, new voters; however, long-term party preferences of voters do not change

Critical elections: indicate sharp changes in existing party loyalty due to changing social/economic conditions

Realigning elections: minority party wins by building a new coalition that continues over successive elections

Dealigning elections: party loyalty becomes less important to voters, as may be seen w/ increase in independents & split-ticket voting