Political Participation Chapter 8

Voting The most common form of political participation is voting. Rates of political participation tend to be higher among those who are employed, have gone to college, white, are black as opposed to being Hispanic Australian ballot: – Printed by the government – Cast in secret – Appeared first in the states – Appeared in the late 1800s

Voter Turnout VAP vs. VEP Voting-Age Population: All U.S. residents age 18 or older. Many in this group are not legally eligible. – Noncitizens – Convicted felons Voting-Eligible Population: includes 18 or older: Excludes U.S. residents that are not legally permitted to cast a ballot. VEP is more preferable to VAP – Think of difference of eligible vs age

Reasons for Not Voting ¼ too busy, scheduling conflicts #1 reason Family obligations Believe vote would not matter Proposals to solve the problem: Election Day a national holiday Holding elections on the weekends Mail in ballots Get out the Vote drives

Voting Rights Suffrage-the right to vote Article I, Section 2- elected House members Most states established tax paying or property Changes – Universal suffrage to working class white males = Pres. Jackson 15 th amendment – literacy tests – poll taxes – Grandfather clause – white primary Smith v. Allwright (1944) 19th amendment – 1920 women get right to vote 23 rd amendment – Voters in Washington, D.C. vote in presidential elections 24 th amendment (1964) – Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966) – 26 th Amendment (1971) – Minimum age for voting is 18 Voting Rights Act 1965 Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

Voter Registration The original purpose of voter registration was to prevent voter fraud. In the U.S. was a device to discourage some groups from voting. Motor Voter Law: – Passed in 1993 – Made it easier for citizens to register to vote. – Linked to vehicle registration process and driver’s licenses – Number of registrants has increased somewhat, but has not increased significantly

Figure 8.3 Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections Copyright © 2013 Cengage Source: Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, June and November 2008.