copyright atomic dog publishing, 2006 chapter 7 voting and participation lecture 7
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Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006
Chapter 7
Voting and Participation
Lecture 7
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006
Actual voter turnout depends on:
VoterTraits
RegistrationLaws
CampaignContacts
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Education is the mostimportant variable
in whether people vote.
Education and Voting
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Socio-economic Status
FamilyIncome +
=
Education
Occupational Status
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VoterTraits
• Socioeconomic Status
• Race and Ethnicity
• Psychological Characteristics
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RegistrationLaws
• Registration and voting laws also affect turnout by changing the costs of voting from state to state.
• The more difficult and time-consuming it is to vote, the less likely people are to do so.
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Voter Turnout in the 1990s
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61.1
29.9RegisteredWhitesNon-RegisteredWhites
Percentage of SouthernWhites registered
to vote in 1960
Voting Act of 1965
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29.1
60.9
RegisteredBlacksNon-RegisteredBlacks
Voting Act of 1965
Percentage of SouthernAfrican-Americans registered
to vote in 1960
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• Tests of literacy
• Educational attainment
• Knowledge
• Good moral character
The Voting Act of 1965
Eliminated the following “requirements” for voting. These factors were “interpreted” by Southern registrars to deny Blacks the vote.
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Activism can be defined as political activities that go beyond
voting, such as attempting to persuade others, attending rallies, donating money, or
working for a candidate or cause.
7-2 Political Activists
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Three Factors Influencing
Voting Behavior
Party Identification
CandidateCharacteristics
Issues
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7-3a Party Identification
The psychological feeling of belonging to a particular political party, which
influences voting behavior
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7-3b Candidate
Characteristics
The candidate's character, personality, experiences, past record,
and physical appearance
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Retrospective
Issue Voting
Prospective
Issue Voting
Easy Issues
Hard Issues
7-3c Issues
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RetrospectiveIssueVoting
Deciding how to vote on the basis of
past policy outcomes
ProspectiveIssueVoting
Deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate's likely
future policies and campaign promises
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Easy issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions
without much information
Easy Issues
Deciding how to vote on the basis of a
candidate's likely future policies
Hard Issues
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Why Many Americans Do Not Vote• Lack of education and information
• Lack of personal efficacy
• Complex registration rules
• Frequent movers must re-register
• Felon disenfranchisement laws in many states
• No personal contact by party officials or interest groups (churches, labor unions)
• Skepticism about politics, government officials
• See no differences between parties or candidates
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006
Why Many Young Americans Do Not Vote
• Weak party identification
• Rely on TV: little knowledge of candidates or issues
• Frequent movers; must re-register
• Transients, renters; little stake in state/local issues
• Many young minority males have prison records
• Parties and candidates appeal to older voters
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Hudson: Trivialized Elections
Hudson argues that US elections fail to meet three essential criteria for true democracy:
1. Equal representation
2. Opportunity for policy deliberation
3. Election outcomes should control what government does
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Unequal Representation
• Equal voting rights are not sufficient in a representative democracy
• Political parties are required to provide choices and channel votes into policy influence
• US parties have been weakened by “reforms” – primaries, end of patronage, state regulations
• Thus candidates self-select and parties have little influence over their policy choices
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Problems with Candidate-Centered Campaigns
• Emphasis on fundraising, personal wealth, PACs
• “Hidden election” by wealthy donors actually selects the candidate long before the primaries
• No commitment to a party platform or policy record
• Emphasis on marketing techniques, image, NOT policy or voters’ concerns
• Once elected, candidates have weak ties to party
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Problems with Media Coverage
• Focus on the “horse race” not issues
• Declining coverage of policy substance; shorter sound bites
• Coverage of jokes, mishaps, sensation, scandals
• Negative campaigning/attack ads work best to gain voter and media attention
• Campaigns as spectacles or entertainment, NOT opportunity for deliberation
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Hudson: Elections Do Not Control Policy
• No one can draw policy conclusions from trivialized elections
• Nonelected institutions make policy:
The Federal Reserve Board
The Supreme Court
Interest-group influence over the bureaucracy
• Without party support, candidates cannot carry out their promises
Clinton and health care
Bush and Social Security privatization
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