AP Government Political Participation

Dentist Joke A Burmese man goes to India to have his toothache treated. The Indian dentist wonders why he came all the way to India. “Don’t you have a dentist in Myanmar (Burma)? “Oh, yes we do,” says his patient. “But in Myanmar, we are not allowed to open our mouths.”

Conventional: Participation through Voting

Making the decision How Americans vote

Suffrage (The legal right to vote 15 Amendment- All races can vote 19 Amendment- All women can vote 24 Amendemt- Non-tax payers can vote 26 Amendment- 18-21 year-olds can vote

Election Day is: the first Tuesday after the first Monday, in November Illinois State Qualifications to register to vote: 18, citizen, resident for 30 days, & not be registered in any other state In Illinois, you may register to vote on election day or before People incarcerated in the state of Illinois are not eligible to vote Polls are open: 6am-7pm Do you see any potential problems yet?

Voter Registration Some states require that you register as a voter a month before election day. Is that hindering people from voting?

Motor Voter Act You register to vote when you get your drivers license. This makes it easier to register aka more people vote

Why don’t poor people vote?

33 states have voter ID Laws

Voter ID laws by state

Do you think voters should have to show ID to vote?

Is this hindering certain group from voting?

% of Eligible voters who voted in presidential elections 2008: 62.2% 2012: 59% 2016: 60.2% Number of eligible voters who did not vote in 2016: 94 million

Characteristics of Voters How likely are you to vote (not which Party, but just to vote at all!) More Educated Most important factor, but connected to other traits Higher Income Union Membership Politically Affiliated Civic Involvement Older More likely until mobility becomes a problem Married Traits are cumulative- possessing several adds up

Voter Turnout

Patterns of Participation What trends about voting rates do you see in this chart?

Patterns of Participation Average voter turnout in presidential years since 1900 have plateaued at around 60% of the electorate except for three different times: 1920s adding of women to the electorate 1940s distraction of WWII 1970s adding of 18 year olds

Age

Income

Race

What would it take to turn BLUE states RED? 270 to win

Low Voter Turnout Standard socioeconomic model relationship between socioeconomic status and conventional political involvement: people with higher economic status and more education are more likely to participate than those with lower status Review: what do the following factors have to do with voter turnout? Age Race Gender Marital Status

Decline of Voting Rates Over Time If the standard socioeconomic model is true, why have voting rates stayed low while levels of education in the US have increased? Lack of a gain to belief that gov’t is no longer responsive to citizens Candidates are too packaged Campaigns are too long Change in attitude toward political parties Negative ads = negative view of gov’t leaders

Figure 13.2- Why People Don’t Vote  Back

Americans compared to Europeans Less likely to vote More elected officials More complex registration process Political parties are weaker Has less daily involvement in government

US Voter Turnout Compared to Other Countries Two factors make voting in the US more of a challenge Differences in voting laws 2 step process for voting

Voters lining up outside a Baghdad polling station during the 2005 Iraqi election. Voter turnout was considered high despite widespread concerns of violence.

Ways to Improve Voter Turnout Make registration and absentee voting easier? Make Election Day a holiday?

2016 Voting Maps http://metrocosm.com/election-2016-map-3d/

Why do people vote for one candidate over another?

Because they agree with the public policy beliefs?

Maybe people vote for a candidate for a different reason…

…Party identification

Appearance Public speaking Personality Integrity and trust Personal Image Appearance Public speaking Personality Integrity and trust

Policy Voting

Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior Candidates who vow to continue popular policies are more likely to win elections. Retrospective voting: voters cast a vote based on what a candidate has done for them lately. Those who feel worse-likely to vote against incumbents. Bad economies make politicians nervous.

Mandate Theory of Elections The winning candidate has permission from the people to carry out his or her platform, if a majority of the people vote for him or her. Make laws based on ideas expressed in the campaign

Initiatives for Influencing Politics Low level initiatives for influencing politics Voting how an we move this to high level? Wearing a candidate’s shirt or displaying a bumper sticker Watching debates or conventions on TV Sign a petition High level initiatives for influencing politics Running for office Work on a candidate’s campaign Calling and writing letters to Congress or other elected officials Attend gov’t meetings or hearings

Redistricting & Gerrymandering

This is called REDISTRICTING. US CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS When the Census is held every 10 years, every Legislative District in the United States is redrawn to reflect population changes. This is called REDISTRICTING. US CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

The PARTY in control of each state legislature controls redistricting. If they use this power to give themselves an electoral advantage, this is called GERRYMANDERING.

Illinois and Chicago Congressional Districts GERRYMANDERING leads to oddly-shaped campaign districts, as ruling parties divide opposition voters to make them less powerful. Illinois and Chicago Congressional Districts

Gerrymandering Gerrymandering Article Back

Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District

Gerrymandering or Ink blot? http://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2017/04/district-or- inkblot-quiz

The Last Battle: The Electoral College Electoral college actually elects the president—founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country States (political parties) choose the electors Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states

Electoral College Preview This is not really until next unit, but let’s introduce it to put everything into context Electoral College Preview

How the Electoral College works Each state has as many votes as it does Representatives and Senators. Winner of popular vote typically gets all the Electoral College votes for that state Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January If no candidate gets a majority (270 votes), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state casting one vote.

A Tale of Three Elections

http://www. realclearpolitics http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_college_map.html What is the Alternative Vote? Problems with the Alternate Vote