Political Participation

AP GovernmentUnit 5

What is considered political participation?

• Acts aimed at influencing policy, including:

– voting

– protesting

– letter-writing

– volunteering for a party or interest group

Most common form of participation1. Voting 2. Affiliated w/ Political Organization3. Contacting a public official 4. Attend meetings of organizations5. Campaign contributions6. Informal community activity7. Attend local board meeting8. Campaign work 9. Protest10. Board membership

Least common form of participation

Why Don’t Americans Vote?1. Long and complex ballots

– Confusing to voters (I)2. People are poorly informed 3. Disaffection

– Elections are determined by money and special interest support

– Loss of trust in government– Alienation

4. Legal barriers (I)– Some groups were not allowed to vote

• Today: Photo ID Rules (I)– Through the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Amendments

fixed many legal barriers

Why Don’t Americans Vote?

5. Other Legal Requirements– Age Requirements (I)– Citizenship Requirements (I)

6. Because many elections are not close and some voters feel it’s not necessary

7. The population has a greater percentage of young people and minorities who are less likely to vote.

8. Political parties do not mobilize voters; to many they are distant national bureaucracies.

9. Some states still do not have easy universal voter registration. (I)

10. Voting itself still requires effort (cost) without any cost for nonvoting.

Why DON’T Americans VOTE?

2. The population has a greater percentage of young people and minorities who are less likely to vote.

3. Political parties do not mobilize voters; they are distant national bureaucracies.

4. Some states still do not have easy universal voter registration. (I)

5. Voting itself still requires effort (cost) without any cost for nonvoting.

I- Institutional Barriers that are governmental in nature or Constitution-based

Why DON’T Americans VOTE?6. Long and complex ballots and confusing to voters7. People are poorly informed 8. Disaffection

– Elections are determined by money and special interest support

– Loss of trust in government– Alienation

9. Legal barriers– Some groups were not allowed to vote– 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Amendments fixed

this

So…Who DOES Vote? 1. Education

The higher the level the higher the participation. They tend to pay more attention to current affairs and events are much more likely to understand how it works and how it may apply to them.

2. Income People with higher incomes have a higher tendency to vote.

3. Age Older people tend to vote more often than younger people (less than half of

eligible 18-24 year olds are registered to vote).4. Gender

Women vote at a slightly higher rate than men, but this varies. However, since 1980, women have a higher tendency to vote for Democrats than Republicans.

5. Race In general, whites tend to vote more regularly than African-American, but

blacks with high income and education vote more than whites of the same SES. Overall, Asian-Americans vote at a lower rate than blacks or whites.

6. Parental participationIf your parents vote, you will likely vote

7. OccupationWhite collar professionals vote more than blue

collar workers/laborers8. Religion

Those who attend church regularly vote more often than occasional or non-church goers

9. Exposure to mediaThose who read and watch the news vote more

often

So…Who DOES Vote?

10. People who are affiliated with certain organizations – What do they do??

• Attend meetings• Give money• Take political stand

So…Who DOES Vote?

Political PartiesCivic Clubs

Charitable GroupsBusiness Groups

Educational GroupsHobby GroupsNeighborhood Associations

Cultural GroupsUnions

Religious GroupsSeniors

Youth Groups

Historically, Who Voted and When??

• Who was the first group of Americans to have the right to vote?

• Do you know when other groups were added to the electorate??

Historically, Who Voted and When??

• Who was the first group of Americans to have the right to vote?– White, male, landowners were generally the only voters until 1828– FYI, states decided who to add to electorate and when to add

them NOT federal government

• Do you know when other groups were added to the electorate??– Generally through federal amendments or laws but some states

also broadened the electorate

• African American males-– The 15th Amendment extended voting rights to African-Americans in 1870– Because of intimidation and Jim Crow laws, it took many years and many

struggles to overcome legal strategies such as literacy test, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses.

– These efforts did not bear fruit until the 1965 Voting Rights Act increased federal supervision and criminal penalties

• Women– Women received the vote nationwide in 1920 after the 19th Amendment

was ratified and immediately voted in large numbers without intimidation. – However, there was no immediate change in elections or election results or

policy changes• Residents of DC

– 23rd Amendment ratified in 1963• Poll Tax

– Not removed until 1964– 24th Amendment

• 18-19-20-year-olds– The 26th Amendment was ratified in 1971, extending the franchise – This did not have any noticeable effect on elections.

The Voting Rights Amendments

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

1972

1976

1980

1984

1988

1992

1996

2000

2004

25+ Turnout18-24 Turnout

Source: Current Population Survey (CPS), November Supplement, calculated using CIRCLE method.

The youngest voters have the lowest participation in presidential elections

Fact:Americans are less likely to vote

than are Europeans.• Why?

– 1. Too many offices to fill• The United States has an almost bewildering number of elective

offices, an estimated 521,000 positions. • Voters' enthusiasm for elections is surely deflated by the sheer

volume of names with which them must familiarize themselves. • In Europe, in contrast, each voter generally is confronted with

only one or two offices to fill per election, so that electoral decisions do not impose a burden upon the voter.

• Even in Europe, however, voter apathy increases with the number of elections.

It seems too much democracy, in terms of either selecting government offices or making policy, is exhausting

• Why? – 2. Voting procedures are not mandatory

• It is common in other countries for voting to be compulsory by law and for registration to be carried out automatically by the government.

Fact:Americans are less likely to vote

than are Europeans.

Mandatory voting would probably fail to survive a constitutional challenge in this country on First Amendment grounds; just as

people have a right not to speak (like refusing to salute the flag), it would seem to follow that they have a right to refrain from

voting-a form of speech-as well.

• Why? – 3. Voting procedures are too complicated

• Americans must register BEFORE Election Day in most states

• Americans must re-register every time they move states• Americans must notify election boards if they move

within a state

Fact:Americans are less likely to vote

than are Europeans.

The Motor-Voter Act is a federal law that mandates that all states offer to register all citizens over 18 when they get or

renew their driver’s license.

• Although American voter turnout has decreased over the past twenty years, it seems that other forms of participation, such as writing letters to public officials and engaging in demonstrations, have increased.

• Compared to citizens of other democracies, Americans vote less but engage more in other forms of political participation.

Fact:Americans are more likely to participate in other ways than

are Europeans.

Lack of Civic Understanding John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Survey

112,003 high school students in 2004

•On 1998 National Civics Tests (NAEP) •Only 23% of 4th graders were proficient•Only 23% of 8th graders were proficient•Only 26% of 12th graders were proficient•36% believed that newspapers should get “government approval” of stories before publishing•Less than 50% of 15-26 years old think that communicating with elected officials, volunteering, or donating money to help others are qualities of a good citizen

Decline in Political Participation

The youngest generation of voters has the greatest distrust of others

70%

59%

49%

40%

56%

41%36%

29%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

DotNets GenX Boomers Matures

Most people look out for themselvesMost people would take advantage of you

Source: The Civic and Political Health of the Nation, A Generational Portrait, 2002.

“The death of

democracy is not

likely to be an

assassination

from ambush. It

will be a slow

extinction from

apathy,

indifference and

undernourishme

nt.

-Robert Hutchins

Read Chapter 13 and 14!!!