Political Participation An Introduction

Voting Rates Voting-Age Population Austria89% Sweden87 Australia83 Germany81 France78 UK76 Japan74 Canada67 USA53 Switzerland39 Registered Voters Australia95% Austria95 Sweden91 Germany89 USA86 France86 UK76 Japan75 Canada69 Switzerland48

Non-Participation Very low voter turnout compared to European countries Causes ◦ Apathy?--Not according to the authors of our text ◦ The real problem: Low voter registration rates  Registration is not automatic (as in Europe)  There is no penalty for not registering

State to Federal Control Initially, States decided everything Wide Variation In who can vote, how, and registration requirements Feds control more and more StandardizationNEXT SLIDE

State to Federal Control 1842 law: House members elected by district 17 th Amendment (1913): Direct popular election of senators 15 th Amendment (1870): Suffrage to Blacks ◦ But, literacy tests, poll taxes, etc.  1965 Voting Rights Act 19 th Amendment (1920): Suffrage to women 26 th Amendment (1971): Suffrage to 18—21 year- olds HAVA (2002): Attempt to standardize voting machines, and registration processes

Voter Turnout Decline Some say the decline is not real (skewed by 19 th c. Voter Fraud) ◦ Party Ballots, Public Ballots, Party Counting ◦ Slogan: “Vote Early and Vote Often” ◦ 1888 County Election Turnout (W. Virginia): 108% But, this doesn’t explain continued drop since 1960’s Real decline in Popular interest, and party competition (turnaround in 2008?)

The Final Word “Low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls” (attributed to Dan Quayle, George Bush, John Kerry, and Al Gore)