1. Voting
&
Participation

2. Socioeconomic Demographic Psychological Voter Turnout
Characteristics which account
for Voter Turnout
Socioeconomic
Demographic
Psychological
Voter Turnout

3. Socioeconomic Characteristics
Education increases one’s capacity for understanding complex and intangible subjects such as politics, as well as encouraging the ethic of civic responsibility.

4. Socioeconomic Characteristics
Family Income Turnout rises sharply from low to middle income levels.

5. Socioeconomic Characteristics
Occupational Status Turnout rises sharply from unskilled laborers to white collar or professional jobs.

6. Demographic Characteristics
Race & Ethnicity
The lower average education and incomes of racial and ethnic groups reduce the likelihood that members of these groups will vote.

7. Demographic Characteristics
Age
As people grow older, they gain knowledge and other resources that make participation easier. Community ties such as home ownership, marriage, and children develop with age.

8. Demographic Characteristics
Gender
Since the “Women’s Movement” in the 1960, women started to vote at the same rate as men. Since 1984, white women have often voted at a slightly higher rate than white men in presidential elections.

9. Psychological Characteristics
Party Identification
People who identify strongly with one of the political parties are more likely to show up at the polls on Election Day than weak identifiers or independents.

10. Psychological Characteristics
Efficacy
The feeling that one can have an effect on politics and political decision makers – also motivates people to vote. Those who feel ineffective view voting and other types of political participation as wasted efforts.

11. Psychological Characteristics
Interest in Politics
People who have an interest in politics and follow it in newspapers and magazines are also more likely to vote than those who are not interested and who do not follow politics in the print media.

12. Psychological Characteristics
Interest in Politics
Those who read about politics learn a good deal; those who only watch television do not.

13. Psychological Characteristics
Group Consciousness
Identification with one’s social group (for instance, black consciousness, gender groups, issues groups, etc.) are more likely to participate in elections.

14. Psychological Characteristics
Trust in Government
One’s attitude of trust toward government seems to have little or no influence on voter turnout.

15. Geographic
Characteristics

16. Registration Laws
The more difficult and time consuming it is to vote, the less likely people are to do so.
1. Almost all industrial democracies have automatic voter registration.
2. Many industrialized democracies have a system of compulsory voting.

17. Registration in the United States
Closing Date
Poll Taxes
Literacy Tests
Intimidation

18. Efforts to mobilize voters
Campaign Contacts
Efforts to mobilize voters
• Party Campaigns (Soft Money)
• Nonpartisan Interest Groups
Oregon Mail-In Vote
• Government Strategies
Texas Two-Week Vote
Motor Voter Act of 1993

19. Attempts to Increase Voter Turnout
Australian Ballot
15th Amendment
19th Amendment
Motor-Voter Law
26th Amendment

20. POLITICAL ACTIVISTS
Complete Inactives

21. 11% 22% 21% 20% 4% Complete Activist Participate in every way possible
Complete Inactivist Do not participate; not even in voting
22%
Voting Specialist They do nothing but vote
21%
Communalist Avoid the conflict of campaigns - focus on civic and charitable groups
20%
Parochial Participants Only became involved after contact with a public official to solve a problem 4%

22. How Voters Make Choices
• Party Identification
• Candidate Characteristics
• Issues
• Changes Over Time
• Social Groups

23. Party Identification
This is more than an emotional or psychological attachments; it is a way in which people think of themselves and an influence on how they behave.
Perceptual Screens are used to judge candidates.

24. Candidate Characteristics
The candidates’ personalities, experiences, past records, and even their physical appearances make up this set of voting influences.
Some voters are influenced by irrational prejudices.

25. Issues
Issues lie at the heart of democratic elections. Although few people lack the knowledge of public policy, issues still do affect campaigns and elections.
Retrospective Issue Voting - deciding how to vote on past policy outcomes.
Prospective Issue Voting - deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate’s likely future policies.

26. Issues
Retrospective Issue Voting - deciding how to vote on past policy outcomes.
Sociotropic Voters - People who vote on the basis of their community’s economic interests, rather than their personal economic interests

27. Prospective Issue Voting - deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate’s likely future policies.
In order for an issue to play any role in a voter’s decision, the voter must:
1. be aware of the issue and have an opinion on it;
2. have some idea about what the government is
currently doing on that issue;
3. see a difference between the policies the two
candidates propose in response to the issue.

28. Researchers suggest the following criteria for issue voting
Researchers suggest the following criteria for issue voting. An issue can influence someone’s vote if the voter:
1. can place himself/herself on the scale;
2. can place both candidates on the scale;
3. sees a difference between the candidates;
4. correctly places Democratic candidates to the left of
Republican candidates. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Government should ensure jobs and good living standard
Government should let each person go ahead

29. Easy Issues Hard Issues
Simple issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions without much information.
(E.g. crime, abortion, drugs.)
Hard Issues
Complicated issues that require voters to have information about the policy and to spend time considering their choices.
(E.g. federal budget, foreign policy, health care.)

30. Changes Over Time
The relative importance of party identification, candidate characteristics, and issues may change from one election to the next.
Factor which may change voter decisions:
1. Dramatic events such as war or recession
2. Issue campaigns and ideological conflicts
3. Campaigns which focus on character or scandal.

31. Social Groups
The following social groups have significant impact on elections:
1. Family Income
2. Education
3. Union Household
4. Race/Ethnicity
5. Religion
6. Gender
7. Ideology

32. Now…
You are going to create two fictional American people. You can choose to create
the typical voter and non voter
the typical Democrat and Republican
You can either draw these individuals or find pictures in magazines. On the back, you are to write a profile for each, including all the characteristics we discussed in class today: income, occupation, education, gender, age, religious and ethnic background, geographical location
From Block Scheduling Strategies page 164 and Differentiated Instruction page 169