Political Participation

Types of Participation Voting in elections Discussing politics Attending political meetings Forming interest groups Contacting public officials Campaigning for candidates or parties Contributing money to candidates or parties Running for office Protesting government decisions

Most of these are normal, routine and acceptable Less acceptable means have been used Ex: violent protests against Vietnam War kept LBJ from running again Most common form of participating is voting However, Americans are less likely to vote than citizens of most European countries

Non-Voters Approximately 2/3 of voting age population are registered to vote. Most who are registered to vote actually vote The problem is the low percentage of people who are registered Many don’t care about politics or their civic duty as citizens

Also, registering to vote falls entirely on the citizens They must find out where, take the time, and go someplace Have to re-register if they move. 1993 – Motor Voter Law – requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for their driver’s license

Registration can also be completed through the mail 90% of Republicans opposed the law, 95% of Democrats supported the law (MVL) However, the law has not changed the two-party balance From 1999-2000, 17.4 million registered to vote at motor vehicle offices

Most European countries have much higher voter participation However, the US probably has more people who join civic associations, write their congressmen, fight city hall, etc.

Possible Reasons for Low Turnout 1) Expansion of electorate (ex: 25th amendment) 2) Failure of parties to mobilize voters (negative campaigns, too many elections) 3) No perceived difference b/w candidates or parties 4) Mistrust of government 5) Apathy 6) Satisfaction with the way things are

7) Lack of political efficacy (people don’t believe their vote will make a difference) 8) Mobility of electorate (people move around a lot) 9) Registration process difficult

Expansion of Suffrage Suffrage is the right to vote Must meet certain requirements US was first nation to provide for general elections through mass suffrage The makeup of the electorate has changed throughout history

Two trends have marked the development of suffrage: 1. dropping a number of restrictions 2. transferring more authority from states to federal government

Changes in voting requirements have included: 1) Elimination of religious qualifications 2) Elimination of property ownership 3) Elimination of tax payments 4) Elimination of race disqualifications (15th amend) 5) Elimination of gender disqualifications (19th)

6) Elimination of grandfather clauses, white primaries, and literacy requirements with passage of federal civil rights legislation and court decisions (Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act of 1965) 7) Allowing residents of DC to vote in presidential elections (23rd amendment – 1961)

8) Elimination of poll taxes in federal elections (24th amendment 1964) (all poll taxes ruled unconstitutional in Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, 1966) 9) Lowering the minimum age for voting in federal elections to 18 (26th amendment 1971)

One would think, with all of these restrictions lifted and millions more able to vote, that voter turnout would go up. Between 1860-1900 – 70% of eligible voters went to the polls 1920 & 1924 – not even 50% went to the polls Since 1928 – between 50-60% go to the polls

Until the beginning of the 20th century, voter fraud was common The parties printed the ballots Voting booths were usually public Didn’t really work hard to decide who was eligible to vote Party machines used “floaters” to “vote early and often” The parties often controlled the counting of the votes

Around 1890 – state began using the Australian ballot Government printed Uniform size and shape Cast in secret Helped cut back on voter fraud One reason why voter turnout probably fell is that it became harder and longer to register to vote – also longer residency requirements

After the disaster in Florida in 2000, Congress has passed laws which: 1) Require each state have a system for counting disputed ballots 2) Provides federal funding for upgrading voting equipment 3) Created procedures for training election officials

Who Votes? Several factors affect the likelihood of voting: 1) Education – the higher it is, the more likely a person is to vote (most important indicator) 2) Occupation and income – those with white collar or higher incomes more likely to vote than blue collar or lower levels of income 3) Age – older people more likely to vote

4) Race – whites are more likely to vote 5) Gender – women more likely to vote 6) Religion – people who are more active in their religion vote more 7) Marital status – married people tend to vote more 8) Union membership – members of unions vote more

9) Community membership – those involved in their community vote more 10) Party identification – those with strong ties to party vote more 11) Geography – states with more interparty competition vote more