Voting and Voter Behavior

Voting Part 1 Who has suffrage in the US? What are the requirements to vote? Who is prohibited from voting? What is voter registration?

Suffrage or Franchise =the right to vote Suffrage or Franchise =the right to vote By 1810 religious qualifications were eliminated, by 1840s property requirements th Amendment- race th Amendment- gender rd Amendment- DC residents Voting Rights Act th Amendment – no poll tax th Amendment – age 18+

Universal requirements Universal requirements set by the states Universal requirements Citizenship-(varies by state) Citizenship-(varies by state)  Nothing in the Constitution says that an alien should not be able to vote Residency-(varies by state) Residency-(varies by state)  requirement to live in the state need to be < than 31 days in a Presidential election Age Age  Limit cannot be higher than 18

Registration- a procedure of voter id to prevent fraudulent voting A Progressive reform – early 1900s A Progressive reform – early 1900s All states except N. Dakota require registration All states except N. Dakota require registration Most European democracies require public officials to compile a list of eligible voters. Most European democracies require public officials to compile a list of eligible voters. “Motor-Voter” Law since 1995 “Motor-Voter” Law since 1995

Persons denied the vote No state allows anyone living in a mental institution to vote. No state allows anyone living in a mental institution to vote. ¼ of the states denies voting to felons. ¼ of the states denies voting to felons. A few states do not allow anyone who is dishonorably discharged from the military to vote. A few states do not allow anyone who is dishonorably discharged from the military to vote.

Voting Part 2 Who votes and why? Who votes and why? Who doesn’t vote and why? Who doesn’t vote and why?

Why people do not vote Close to 100 million did not vote in 2004 Close to 100 million did not vote in million 100 million % of non-voters is generally increasing % of non-voters is generally increasing –56.7% of eligible voters voted for president  60.9% in 1968, 49% in 1996 Cannot voters – million Cannot voters – million –10 million resident aliens –5-6 million ill, disabled –500,000 in mental institutions –2-3 million traveling unexpectedly –2 million in jail –100,000 who do not vote based on religious reasons What about everybody else?

What for? It won’t make any difference Everything’s fine. Why bother? the “system”. I refuse to participate! Uggghhh! The line’s too long and it’s raining… I don’t know. I don’t care. 80,000,000 votes

idiot from the Greek word idiotes: those who did not vote or take part in civic life

Sociological factors determining whether or how people vote

1. Income, occupation –Lower income groups vote Democrat 2. Education –Higher percentages of college graduates vote Republican 3. Gender –Before 2004 women more likely to vote Democrat. 4. Age Age –Younger people tend to vote Democrat

Sociological factors of voting 5. Religion-Republican party recent gains –Protestants=Republican –Catholics & Jews= Democrat 6. Ethnic Background –African Americans typically vote Democrat –Mexican Americans & Puerto Ricans usually vote Democrat –Cubans usually vote Republican 7. Family –9/10 married couples share partisan leanings –2/3 people vote like their parents

Voters Straight ticket Straight ticket –vote the same party in all races Split-ticket Split-ticket –split presidential and Congressional and/or state and local Independent Independent

Why don’t more people vote?

Why Is Turnout so Low?  In 2008, 62 percent of eligible voters turned out.  Most common reason for not voting is being too busy.  Registration can also be an unclear process.  Absentee voting can be difficult.  There are a lot of elections.  People are apathetic.  Political parties have less influence than in earlier years.

Voter Turnout in South vs. Non-South States

Voter Turnout in the 2008 Presidential Primaries

Persons Reported Registered and Voted by State, 2010

Ways to Improve Voter Turnout  Make registration and voting easier. - Make registration automatic - Offer more options to vote absentee, mail-in ballots, electronic voting, online voting  Make Election Day a holiday or hold it on a weekend.  Strengthen political parties.  Make voting compulsory.

Participation: Translating Opinions into Action (continued) A Comparison with other nations  Who Votes?  How Serious is Nonvoting?

A Comparative Perspective

Voter Turnout by Demographic Factors

Voter Turnout in Presidential and Midterm Elections,

Why People Don’t Vote How Serious is Nonvoting? Concerns about “class bias” Negative effect on Democratic candidates May indicate approval of the status quo

An institutional barrier that blocks people from voting is a.distant voting booths b.registration c.unattractive candidates d.lack of party competition

All of the following are true about voter statistics except a.men out-vote women by a large majority. b.middle-aged people are more likely to vote than younger people. c.college-educated persons vote more than high school graduates. d.persons who are active in organized groups are more likely to vote.

The group least likely to vote is a.18 to 24 year olds b.blue collar workers c.women d.athletes These college students feel responsible to vote and line up on campus to fill out absentee ballots.

Voting Choices Voting on the Basis of Party Party identification – an informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. Voting on the Basis of Candidates Candidate appeal – how voters feel about a candidate’s background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities. Voting on the Basis of Issues While important, issues are not central to the decision process as the other two.

Voters tend to vote against an incumbent if a.the budget is out of balance b.there is an issue conflict c.their personal fortunes are declining d.they have not implemented their campaign promises.

electoralmap.net/index.php Interactive Electoral Map History of electoral votes by state

References McClenaghan, W. (2006). Magruder’s American Government. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall. McClenaghan, W. (2006). Magruder’s American Government. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.   Hart, Diane. (2009). Government Alive! Power, Politics and You. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute.         he_United_States#Current_major_parties he_United_States#Current_major_parties     ed_States ed_States

The Candidate conclusion The Candidate conclusion Midterm Essay Review Midterm Essay Review RAP #20: Compulsory Voting RAP #20: Compulsory Voting Voter Behavior Voter Behavior HW: Prepare for Midterm Essay HW: Prepare for Midterm Essay Party Platform Part 1 Party Platform Part 1 EC #2 DUE: Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4 EC #2 DUE: Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4 AGNEDA: Tues 11/1 & Wed 11/2

Midterm Reflection Essay In Class: Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4 “Based on your viewing of “The Candidate” and excerpts from “Bobby,” along with your own understanding of the role of political parties, write an essay which addresses one component from each of the following options: Option A 1. Compare and contrast the role of political parties in promoting candidates for the presidency from the late 1960s to today. 2. Compare and contrast the campaign issues, party platforms, and personal character of each candidate from “The Candidate” and “Bobby”. AND Option B 1. At the end of “The Candidate” the question is posed, “What do we do now?” Predict the influence on government McKay will have after he won the Senate race. 2. Predict the impact on our country had Bobby Kennedy not been shot and won the Presidency.

RAP #20: Compulsory Voting Read the handout “The Economics of Voting.” Take margin notes about your response to the argument being presented by the author. Read the handout “The Economics of Voting.” Take margin notes about your response to the argument being presented by the author. –Do you agree or disagree w/ the author’s perspective? Whether or not you agree that low voter turnout is a serious problem, it seems clear that our government would be more representative if more people voted. Furthermore, low turnout is especially common among young voters. Whether or not you agree that low voter turnout is a serious problem, it seems clear that our government would be more representative if more people voted. Furthermore, low turnout is especially common among young voters. –Would you be more likely to vote if voting were no longer voluntary? Why/why not? –What about if you would be fined or even jailed for not voting? Why/why not? –Should all eligible voters vote? vote

Homework: After assessing your personal political orientation and analyzing the various platforms presented by the existing political parties, you’ve decided to start your OWN 3 rd party! – –Devise a name for your party and a symbol that will attract voters. – –Create a PLATFORM with at least 5 “planks” from the following topics:   Economy, debt, taxation, foreign affairs, Afghanistan, Iran, War on Drugs, War on Terror, immigration, homeland security, health, environment, energy, social issues such as abortion, marriage law, capital punishment. – –Write out each “plank” in 2-3 complete sentences which describe and explain your position.

The Economics of Voting Highlight author’s thesis and key points. Margin note your questions, connections and reactions to the author’s words. Prepare to discuss the bulleted questions.