Political Participation Ch. 6

How Citizens Participate

Who can vote? 1 – US citizens 2 – resident of the state you’re voting in 3 – you must be over 18 4 – you must register!!! There are no literacy tests, poll taxes, etc. but you can’t be in a mental institution or prison.

Rise of the American electorate Early 1800s almost all white males could vote 15th Amendment extended voting rights to all males, regardless of race, over 21 19th Amendment allowed women to vote 24th Amendment and Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated poll taxes 26th Amendment allowed everyone over 18 to vote Vietnam war

Obstacles to Voting: Why Don’t People Vote?

Low voter turnout - 2 theories Theory one - real decline This may be due to voter registration difficulties The Florida vote in 2000 controversy Just a continuation of the drop since the early 1960s

The second theory An apparent decline in voting: Political parties once printed the ballots Ballots were cast in public Parties controlled the counting Voter eligibility was easily bypassed Political machines controlled everything The Australian ballot was adopted in 1910 (it’s a standard ballot for everyone printed by the government)

Voting We used to think people didn’t vote out of “apathy” or just a plain lack of desire In reality it’s more accurate to say people don’t vote because the US has low voter registration rates This is partly because you actually have to make an effort to register, unlike Europe

We may not vote as much as Europeans, but we participate much more: joining civic associations, supporting social movements, writing congressmen, and fighting city hall Low turnout rate may actually indicate that we are reasonably satisfied with the governmental system, and if everyone voted it might be a sign of discontent????

100 million people don’t ever vote. Here’s why 10 million are resident aliens 5-6 million are ill or physically unable to vote 2-3 million traveling suddenly 500,000 mentally ill 1 million in prison 100,000 don’t vote for religious reasons That still leaves 80 million people, what’s their story??

Who participates in government and why? Education Religious Activism Men and women vote at the same rate Older people more than younger Non-voters tend to be poor, minorities and uneducated but an increasing number of college students and white collar workers don’t vote

Electoral/Non-electoral Political Participation Among Anglo Whites, African Americans, and Latinos

Any solutions?? ****Remember, Americans may not vote as much but they are involved in other activities Registration barriers continue to be lowered to boost voter turnout Absentee Ballots Possible future- Email, Text message voting There are over 500,000 elected positions in America Bottom line – efficacy and interest really determine who will and won’t vote – SO VOTE ( But do your homework first, don’t end up as a non-voting voter!)

What was the impact of the Motor Voter Law of 1990???