1. Chapter 7- Voting and Participation – Learning Objectives
(1). Examine who votes and the effect of individual voting characteristics.
(2). Describe socioeconomic, demographic and psychological effects on voter turnout.
(3). Discuss the effects of registration laws and campaign contacts.
(4). Outline key historical efforts of Americans to secure the right to vote, including: the 15th, 19th, & 26th Amendments, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
(5). Define political efficacy, analyze the decline in voter turnout, and assess its impact.
(6). Examine who becomes a political activists, and describe the various types.
(7). Examine how voters make choices, the influence of party identification and candidate characteristics, and how voters choose based on the issues.
(8). Contrast retrospective and prospective issue voting, and the role of economics.
(9). Discuss how the relative influences and importance of party identification, candidate characteristics, and issues change over time.
(10). Analyze the influence of social groups on voting behavior; examine the gender gap.

2. Who Votes: The central activity of Democracy
The Effect of Individual Voter Characteristics:
Determining voter turnout – who actually votes
Socioeconomic characteristics
Education
Income
Occupation
Demographic characteristics
Race, ethnicity, age, & gender
Psychological characteristics
Strength of Party Identification
Political efficacy
Group consciousness
Interest & trust in Government & Political awareness
So who’s more likely to vote?

3. Citizens Most likely to Vote:
Same People with what?

4. How US Voters Compare
7-1d Voter Turnout

5. What Determines Voter Turnout
Actual voter turnout depends on:
Voter
Traits
Registration
Laws
Campaign
Contacts
7-1 Voter Turnout

6. Demographic Characteristics: Race, Ethnicity, Age, Gender
Voter
Traits
Socioeconomic Status
Demographic Characteristics:
Race, Ethnicity, Age, Gender
Psychological Characteristics
7-1 Voter Traits

7. + Key Term Review Education Family Income & Wealth
Occupational Status = ?
Socioeconomic Status

8. Education and Voting Education is the most important variable
in whether people vote
or Not.
7-1 Education and Voting

9. Registration
Laws
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.
7-1b Registration Laws

10. The Effect of Registration Laws
Impact on voter turnout => (compared in Fig. 7-1)
2 Rules affecting other industrial democracies:
Automatic voter registration
Compulsory voting
Rules inhibiting voter turnout in US
Closing date (30 day deadline to register)
Region with most stringent registration laws?
Post-Civil War legacy: poll taxes & literacy test
24th Amendment affect on above?
But old habits change slowly=>
Stricter registration rules evident in the South

11. Registration and Congressional Action
Congress eases rules nationally:
National Voter Registration Act of 1993
Also called?
“Motor Voter Law”
Impact? (+ 9%)
But … marginal effects do count => 2000

12. Percentage of Southern
Voting Act of 1965 (whites)
Percentage of Southern
Whites registered
to vote in 1960.
7-1 Voting Act of 1965

13. Voting Act of 1965 (African-American)
Percentage of Southern
African-Americans registered
to vote in 1960.
7-1 Voting Act of 1965 #2

14. Voting Act of 1965 (Impact) Tests of literacy Educational Attainment
Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated what kind of “requirements” for voter eligibility?
Tests of literacy
Educational Attainment
Political Knowledge
Good moral character
7-1 Results of the Voting Act

15. The Effect of Campaign Contacts on Voter Turnout:
Who is normally contacted & why?
Who does the contacting?
Registered Supporters by Party Activists (Figure 7-2)
Personal contact (“Do you need a ride to the polls?”)
Other Methods used to contact => mobilize supporters to vote:
Mass mail campaigns
Telephone banks (“Hello, this is Barbara Bush…”)
New voting trend in Northwest? => any potential effect?

16. Decline of Voter Turnout 1888-2000 (Figure 7-3):

17. Two competing explanations for Voter Decline
1. Democratic Party shift to favor $$$ interest & its impact
Result: loss of labor voter support
2. Changes in Voting laws:
Australian Ballot
Requirements to register in order to vote
19th Amendment
Impact of above?

18. Contemporary Reasons for Decline
Post-1960s analysis & debate:
Survey data indicated => measurable decline in:
Party ID, political efficacy, & newspaper readers
Decline in average age of eligible voters
(26th Amendment) => impact? (population pool?)
Also: decline in efforts to recruit campaign volunteers
Increased reliance on TV ads & direct mail campaigns
Door to door campaigning considered too old fashion?
Impact at the polls? (Recent election results?)

19. Does Weak Voter Turnout Really Matter? (Impact of the rules?)
Which Party benefits or losses?
Conventional wisdom?
High socioeconomic voters’ turnout & preferences? vs.
Historical turnout & preferences of the poor?
Which party would benefit from which group?
Any exceptions to rule?
Role of cross cutting cleavages?
Impact of hypothetical turnout increase:
From 50-55% => 80-90%? (TBD)

20. Political Participation – The Activists
What is a Political Activists?
An individual who engages in 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

21. Various ways to participate in politics?
Participation in Politics:
7-3 Participation in Politics
Most likely way? Least?

22. Becoming an Activists Who Becomes an Activist – 3 major factors?
1. Resources: time, $$$, & civic skills
2. Psychological engagement:
Commitment to issue or group & sense of political efficacy
3. Participating member of organization
(Opportunity to interact and hone debate skills)
Activist influence on political agenda? Why?
Activities: staff campaign, register voters, support election
Any correlations evident? Any exceptions?
Wealthy, older, educated, & involved w/political knowage
Exception: Poor students with strong sense of what?

23. How Voters Make Choices
Three Major Factors
Influencing
Voting Behavior?
Party
Identification
Candidate
Character-istics
Issues
7-3 Three Factors Influencing Voting Behavior

24. The psychological feeling of belonging to a particular political party, which influences voting behavior
Party
Identification
7-3a Party Identification

25. Party Identification Psychological attachment to party =>
Influences political behavior of member- how to vote
Influence of Party ID on voting behavior?
See Text- Table 7-3: likely to vote for party candidate
Another key Role played by Party ID:
Perceptual screen? (Figure 7-5)
Influences voter’s positions on complex issues
Aid for deciding how to vote (how so?)
Guides voters with regard to which issue or candidate to support

26. The candidate's character, personality,
Characteristics
The candidate's character, personality,
experiences, past record, and physical appearance.
7-3b Candidate Characteristics
How does candidate’s characteristics influence voters?
Both obvious & subtle prejudices & preferences

27. Issues: Factors Affecting How People Vote
Retrospective Issue Voting
Prospective Issue Voting
Hard Issues
Easy Issues
7-3c Issues

28. What is Retrospective Issue Voting?
Deciding how to vote on the basis of past policy outcomes.
7-3d Retrospective and Prospective Issue Voting
Prospective
Issue
Voting
Deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate's likely future policies.

29. The Issues Issues – most important but least influential?
Retrospective issue voting?
Voting based on past record (“pocket book issues”)
Impact of sociotropic voters? (community vs. self)
Prospective issue voting?
3 conditions required (1950’s study):
1. issue awareness & an opinion on it
2. knowledge of government’s actions
3. see the different positions of the candidates
Recent Criteria (Seven-point scale – Figure 7-6)
Voter can place him/herself on the scale with regard to the issue
Voter can place both candidates on scale
Voter sees difference between candidates
Places Democratic party to left of GOP candidate
Results? Voter’s knowledge (51% or less- see Table 7-4))

30. Easy vs. Hard Issues What’s the difference?
Issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions without much information.
Easy Issues
7-3 Hard and Easy Issues
Complex issues that require knowledge and understanding invested by the voter.
Hard Issues

31. Easy issues vs. hard issues Criteria for selecting an issue:
Candidate & Party/Interest Group’s conclusion when selecting a particular issue to support?
Complex issues are too hard for voters to understand
Therefore waste of campaign’s time and money
Result?

32. Easy issues vs. hard issues- Impact
Impact on how candidate should choose issues during campaign?
Go easy w/bumper sticker for emotional appeal
Result: Easier to explain Candidate’s position- but…
Less solid info for voters to make their choice
And a less informed electorate
Heavy reliance on Party Identification for decision

33. Changes Over Time
Factors affecting voter decisions change with the times:
Dramatic events:
War, recessions, or natural or manmade disasters
Results in more focus on the issues
Influence of candidates & news media issue priorities (what is debated):
In most cases set the political campaign agenda
Determine what issues are debated before voters

34. Influences of Social Groups on Voting
Social Group influence on voters’ choices in 2000 election:
See Text Table 7-5 for specific breakdown:
Family income & Education
Race/Ethnicity & Religion
Gender
Note growing gender gap
Married couples
Ideology
Group correlations & general conclusions?
Consistency with Political Knowledge profiles?

35. Table 7-5: Social Group Voting- 2000

36. Table 7-5: Social Group Voting- 2004

37. Wednesday’s Assignment
Chapter 8: The News Media
Syllabus Learning Objectives #1-11
Luncheon Learn (Supreme Court)- 1240
Reminder: Research Paper topic
Preparation for Thesis formulation due by MTX

38. Chapter 7 KEY TERMS
Australian ballot: A government-printed ballot (as opposed to one distributed by political parties) that allows people to vote in secret.
Candidate characteristics: The candidate’s character, personality, experiences, past record, and physical appearance.
Closing date: The last day before the election when one can register in order to vote—usually described in number of days before Election Day.
Easy issues: Simple issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions without much information.
Franchise: The right to vote.
Gender gap: The difference between men’s and women’s voting rates for either a Democratic or Republican candidate.
Group consciousness: Identification with one’s social group (for instance, black consciousness).

39. Chapter 7 KEY TERMS (2)
Hard issues: Complicated issues that require voters to have information about the policy and to spend time considering their choices.
Literacy test: A test of ability to read and write, used in the South to prevent people from voting.
Party identification: The psychological feeling of belonging to a particular political party, which influences voting behavior.
Poll tax: Before 1964, the tax that people paid in some states if they chose to vote.
Prospective issue voting: Deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate’s likely policies.
Retrospective issue voting: Deciding how to vote on the basis of past policy outcomes.
Sociotropic voters: People who vote on the basis of their community’s economic interests, rather than their personal economic interests.
Voter turnout: The percentage of people who actually vote.