1. Chapter 6 – Political Participation

2. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
The Problem? –
50% of Americans vote in Presidential Election,
35%-40% in Congressional Elections
In Europe 80% vote in most elections
Apathy the cause or are we just plain lazy?
This info is slightly exaggerated -
1984 Survey Says - voting age population turnout
52.6% Registered voters 86.8%
86.8% clearly rules out apathy as a cause
The real problem low percentage of adults are registered to vote

3. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Apathy?
I don’t care about apathy.
The book says a cause is the high cost to register to vote. 
Congressional solution Motor Voter (Mixed results in states) Republicans 95% oppose Motor Voter Democrats 95% approve
Help America Vote Act - Republican “scheme”

4. In this painting, we see the judge (top center) administering an oath to a voter. The voter (in red) is swearing, with his hand on the bible, that he is entitled to vote and has not already done so. There was no system of voter registration, so this oath and the possibility that the judge or someone else in the vicinity of the polls might recognize him if he came back was all that prevented a voter from voting again and again.

6. The first official use of a lever type voting machine, known then as the "Myers Automatic Booth," occurred in Lockport, New York in Four years later, they were employed on a large scale in the city of Rochester, New York, and soon were adopted statewide. By 1930, lever machines had been installed in virtually every major city in the United States, and by the 1960’s well over half of the Nation’s votes were being cast on these machines.

7. The Rise of the American Electorate
white male landowners
1829 Andrew Jackson expanded the electorate to include all adult males 21+
Most other minorities and women in most states continued to not have suffrage
You cannot vote if convicted of a felony or if former occupation is a Confederate General

8. From State to Federal Control
Elections were a mess at first –
Congressional candidates were picked by district, at large, plurality, majority, even/odd years
Federal government steps in to create control – Districts only, even years, majority vote, first Tuesday in November.

9. From State to Federal Control
15th Amendment – States cannot deny the right to vote
19th Amendment – Women gain suffrage
17th Amendment - direct election of Senators by the electorate
23rd Amendment - District of Columbia gets to vote for the President
24th Amendment - no poll taxes in federal elections
26th Amendment - 18 year-olds get the right to vote (Vietnam War is the key issue)
Literacy tests, Poll Tax, Grandfather Clause, White Primaries

10. Voter Turn Out
Between 50%-60% turn out still very low Theory 1 – Really… no one cares, political parties are to similar
In the late 1800’s Republican domination of national politics made races boring Statistics are very skewed because “vote early vote often” applied (Boss Tweed)
Australian Ballot – Government Printed Standardized ballot more and more regulations made voting more burdensome

11. Who Participates in Politics?
Forms of Participation 22% - Completely inactive - Do nothing (poor, uneducated, young, usually A.A.) Voting Specialists – Vote but do little else (older, less schooling, poorer) Campaigners – get involved in campaigns, know what they want and how the side Communalists – very involved in community but not politics (to much conflict) Parochial Participants – don’t vote but feel the need to contact elected officials 11% - Activists - Do everything (well educated, high incomes, middle aged

20. The Causes of Participation
People with more schooling more likely to vote Churchgoers vote more
Men and women vote the same Whites vote more than AA
In equal socio-economic backgrounds, blacks vote more (A.A have less faith in the system)
If AA all came out and voted, the power structure in America would shift

21. 1960
109,159,000
68,838,204
63.06%
1964
114,090,000
70,644,592
60.92%
1968
120,328,186
73,199,998
60.83%
1972
140,776,000
77,718,554
55.21%
1976
152,309,190
81,555,789
53.55%
1980
164,597,000
86,515,221
52.56%
1984
174,466,000
92,652,680
53.11%
1988
182,778,000
91,594,693
50.11%
1992
189,529,000
104,405,155
55.09%
1996
196,511,000
96,456,345
49.08%
2000
205,815,000
105,586,274
51.31%
2004
215,694,000
122,295,345
56.70%
2008
126,500, ,500,000
(estimate[1])
64.10%

22. The Meaning of Participation Rates
Percentages are lower here than other countries however we hold more elections and elect more representatives than any other country
Americans also participate more in the political process here than abroad

23. Summary Americans do not vote – false
Americans do not register to vote – true
Once registered age, race and party organization determine rates
Schooling and information are most powerful determinations
If you depend on the youth of this nation to vote you will lose