Political Participation & Voting Behavior How We Access Democracy

Americans Believe in Political Equality Steps to expand Suffrage 15 th Amendment extended right to vote racial minorities 19 th amendment extended right to vote to women 26 th amendment extended right to vote to 18 year olds Motor Voter Act, 1993 allowed citizens to register to vote when applying for driver’s license

Americans Believe in Political Equality More Voting Rights Protections 17 th Amendment allows for the direct election of Senators 23 rd Amendment gives D.C. residents the ability to vote in Presidential elections (3 electoral votes) 24 th Amendment eliminated the poll tax Voting Rights Act, 1965 – prohibits discrimination in voting

VOTING: #1 Form of Political Participation Americans are more likely to vote than engage any other form of political participation Yet Americans vote at lower rates than most western democracies And we usually have more nonvoters than voters. Why?

Reasons for Low Turnout Registration requirements restrict voting (some other countries have compulsory registration, automatic registration, or resident registration) America’s voting rate looks better if you look at the percent of registered voters who vote. Lack of penalties for not voting (Australia fined; Italy shamed) Expanded suffrage lowered turnout by enfranchising populations less likely to vote (poor, minority, young)

Reasons for Low Turnout Structural Problems Weekday elections Difficulty getting to registration & voting locations (difficulty of absentee voting) Frequent elections/ Ballot fatigue Larger electorate (my vote won’t matter) Mobile population (must re-register; reestablish habit) Many uncompetitive races due to gerrymandering & ideological geographic segregation (African Americans - the most loyal & liberal of Democratic voters - are concentrated in cities)

Reasons for Low Turnout Problematic Trends Party voters declining as issue voters increase (Party ID is BEST predictor of voting and Party affiliation is most often used to make voting decisions) Independents increasing (less partisan = less engaged) Decreasing trust in government leads to decreasing efficacy and lower voter turnout Cross pressure reduces turnout Voter apathy /rational ignorance

Who Does Vote? More educated people vote are more likely to vote (biggest factor) Older people People part of an organized relig ion People with higher incomes Whites vote most reliably (but Blacks vote at a higher rate if you correct for income & education) Women (but males and females vote in similar proportions in Presidential elections) Married people Union members

What Can Improve Turnout? Laws that protect minority voting rights (Voting Rights Act, 1965; 15 th Amendment) Laws that increase ease of voting (voting by mail, Motor Voter Act of 1993, Same Day Voter Registration, Early voting) Voter mobilization efforts More media attention More information available

Impact of Voting Trends: Divided Government Divided Government: Each party controls at least one part of government Increase in Independents leads to more candidate centered voting Increase in ticket splitting (vote for Republican for Congress and Democrat for President) American voters tend to favor divided government (don’t seem to trust one party with control)

Types of Political Participation VOTING: voting in a presidential election is the most common type of political participation Why you should do it: lets you select the people who run the country CONTACTING GOV’T OFFICIALS or MEDIA: can be through letters, , phone calls, or in person Why you should do it: gives direct access; can target specific issues

Types of Political Participation CAMPAIGN DONATION Why you should do it: giving $ is an easy way to advocate for your beliefs CAMPAIGN VOLUTEER Why you should do it: have contact with candidate while spreading your preferences MEMBERSHIP IN INTEREST GROUP/POLITICAL ORG Why you should do it: Solidarity with others of your beliefs; strength in numbers

Types of Political Participation PERSUASIVE DISCUSSION: talk to others about the political issues that matter to you Why you should do it: focuses attention on issues you think are important; can win new converts PROTEST: preferably nonviolent; marches, rallies, street corners Why you should do it: low cost way to attract a lot of attention to your cause

Types of Political Participation LITIGATION: sue over a law or gov’t action you think is wrong Why you should do it: don’t need to be in the majority to be right according to the Constitution RUN FOR OFFICE: local, state or national office Why you should do it: allows you directly influence the government

Who Participates? The Usual Suspects, those with… A high interest in politics Strong political efficacy (internal & external) A sense of Civic Duty Higher socioeconomic status Higher educational levels