Voting and Voter Behavior

 Voting in elections  Discussing politics & attending political meetings  Forming interest groups & PACs  Contacting public officials  Campaigning for a candidate or political party  Contributing money to a candidate or political party  Running for office  Protesting government decisions Forms of Political Participation

 The basis of the U.S. democratic process  Suffrage: the right to vote  Issue of suffrage is reserved to the states (for the most part) Participation Through Voting

QualificationExplanation Citizenship Last name ends with A-D Residence Last name ends with E-H Age Last name ends with I-L Registration Last name ends with M-P Literacy Last name ends with Q-S Tax Payment Last name ends with T-Z Voter Qualifications ( )

 Electorate: those who can legally vote  Changes in Voting Requirements have included:  Elimination of property ownership & tax payments  Elimination of race disqualifications  Elimination of gender qualifications  Elimination of grandfather clauses, white primaries, and literacy requirements  Allowing Washington D.C. to vote in presidential elections  Elimination of poll taxes in federal elections  Lowering the minimum age for voting to 18 Expansion of Suffrage

 15 th Amendment-  Civil Rights Act of  Voting Rights Act of Voting Rights Act of  The Voting Rights Act of  19th Amendment- 19th Amendment Suffrage & Civil Rights

 Direct Primary: allows citizens to nominate candidates  Recall*: special election initiated by petition allowing citizens to remove an official from office  Referendum*: allows citizens to vote directly on issue (propositions)  Initiative*: allows voters to petition to propose issues to be decided by qualified voters  *only exists on the state level, not national Types of Voting

 Has decreased over time compared to other nations, and the U.S.  Voter turnout is higher when the election is viewed as important, and during presidential electionspresidential elections  Possible reasons for low voter turnout:  Expansion of the electorate  Failure of political parties to mobilize voters  No perceived differences between the candidates or parties  Mistrust of government  Apathy  Satisfactions with the way things currently are  Lack of political efficacy  Mobility of the electorate  Registration process Low Voter Turnout

 Factors affecting the likelihood of voting:  Education (*most important factor)  Occupation & income  Age  Race  Gender  Religion  Marital status  Union membership  Community membership  Party identification  Geography Who VotesWho Votes?

 Many nations exercise compulsory voting during elections. Should the United States move towards compulsory voting under any circumstance? How would compulsory voting encourage the democratic process? How would it hurt it? What Do You Think?