Political Participation Why Do People Vote?

Today Forms of political participation Explaining the individual decision to vote or abstain

Start With Some Definitions . . . Political Efficacy Social Capital Social capital flows from “civic engagement” Specific forms of social capital: Norms of trust, reciprocity, and connectedness Information Efficacy

Definition of “Participation” “acts that aim at influencing the government, either by affecting the choice of government personnel or by affecting the choices made by government personnel” (Verba and Nie, 1972)

Influencing who gets elected Voting Threshold activity (most people who don’t vote don’t participate at all)

Voting as a threshold activity People who vote People who engage in other forms of participation

Influencing who gets elected (campaign participation) Voting Threshold activity (most people who don’t vote don’t participate at all) What if you want to do more? Or if you can’t vote?? Not a U.S. citizen Not yet 18 Convicted of a felony

Influencing who gets elected: Beyond Voting Donating money Volunteering for a campaign Signs / buttons / bumper stickers / t-shirts Convincing your friends Attending a rally Registering people to vote Participating in caucuses / primaries

Influencing what they do once they’re in office Focus on causes or issues Groups Rallies Boycotts Litigation Individuals Writing letters/phoning/e-mailing Signs and bumper stickers Civil disobedience

Important things to remember Voting may be the single most important act of political participation (why?) but There are many, many other ways to participate, many of which are open to everyone (regardless of eligibility to vote)

Turning Now to Voting . . . First thing you need is the right to vote Also called “the franchise”

History of the franchise Colonial era Early 1800s 1870: 15th Amendment, but . . . Poll taxes Literacy tests

History of the franchise, cont. 1920: 19th Amendment extended right to vote to women 1924: Snyder Act extended U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans and brought them under the 15th Amendment 1961: 23rd Amendment gives D.C. residents right to vote for president 1964: 24th Amendment prohibited poll taxes 1971: 26th Amendment extended voting rights to everyone over 18

Who is still officially disenfranchised? Citizens under 18 Felons Resident aliens and illegal immigrants But among those who *can* vote, why do some choose not to?

Pre-1990s Scholarship Two camps Rational choice theorists “Demographic predictor” researchers

Rational Choice Theory People have preferences Act to maximize those preferences/utility Constrained by Resources Information What other people do

Anthony Downs, “An Economic Theory of Democracy” (1957) People vote if (P*B) – C > 0 Benefit Discounted by Probability of Getting Benefit Cost

Good theory, bad prediction “Predicts” that rational people never vote Possible “fix” Focus on different benefits . . . Psychic benefits, “duty” Turnout not always sensitive to changes in costs National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act) of 1993) increased registration but not turnout BUT what about effects of “same day registration”?

2004 Total Turnout Rates for Voting Eligible Population Minnesota: 77.21% Wisconsin: 76.19% Maine: 73.37% What do the top three states have in common? They are all the states that allow same-day registration. Why would same-day registration affect turnout while Motor Voter might not? (People forget they’re registered?) Alternative explanations for these numbers . . . The states that allow same day registration are states where voting is emphasized, strong civic duty states – so it is a cultural phenomenon that leads to both the law and the high turnout.

Possible explanations: Law High Turnout Law Civic Culture High Turnout

Other Camp Demographic people are able to predict behavior based on characteristics Education SES Race Age But, they don’t really explain why people vote (description rather than explanation)

So . . . One camp is developing explanations that don’t do a good job of describing actual behavior The other camp is developing descriptions but not bothering to explain the “why” question

Civic Voluntarism Model Henry Brady, Sidney Verba and Kay Lehman Schlozman “Voice and Equality”

Civic Voluntarism Model Interest/Engagement Mobilization/Recruitment Resources

Interest/Engagement interest in politics political efficacy (“I can make a difference, I can participate effectively”) sense of civic duty (“It’s my job as an American to participate”) group consciousness (“As my community goes, so go I”) party identification commitment to personal issues

What might affect interest/engagement?

Mobilization/Recruitment Being asked to participate What increases chances of recruitment?

Resources Time Money “Civic skills” What increases resources? Organizational skills Language skills Social adeptness What increases resources?

Implications for Civic Voluntarism Model “Equal opportunity” not all that equal Importance of social capital and group membership Importance of “political entrepreneurs” – politicians and groups that mobilize people Importance of childhood experiences (family life, education) in adult political behavior