Political Participation AM GOV Chapter 7

Participation Active participation is essential in a democracy See Tasha Allman youngest female mayor in West Virginia history. – She ran as a write in candidate and won by one vote – Rational actor theory-

How is political participation different from civic voluntarism? 1.Intent to change policy 2.Results have broad legal ramifications for society

Characteristics of Political Participation Is any information conveyed to policymakers? If so, how much? Variations in frequency and strength of message Voting – low information, low frequency, low strength of message Serving on School Board- high info., high frequency, high strength of message

Ingredients for Involvement Access to Resources – – Family wealth – Education – Religious affiliation – Workplace – Gender and race

More Ingredients Political engagement – Do you see involvement as a civic duty? – How relevant is politics to you? Four Dimensions of engagement 1.Political Interest 2.Internal and external efficacy 3.Political Information 4.Strength of Party Identification

Even More Ingredients Mobilization – – Direct - – Indirect –

How do campaigns mobilize? President Barack Obama ‘08 and ’12 – Facebook, twitter, redditt, small donors, local GOTV drives Net effect = 15.4% of reg. Dems Governor Mitt Romney ’12 facebook, twitter, large donors, local GOTV drives Net effect= 13.8% of reg. Reps – Recent research suggests that BOTH candidates did very well in GOTV and other mobilization efforts

Voting Who Votes? – People who live on either coast – Minnesota and Wisconsin – Whites – Women – Wealth – Education

Factors Affecting Turnout Registration – Timing – Two Party System – Frequency -

More Factors Affecting Turnout Lack of competitive elections – Issues – Prospective judgment - – Retrospective judgment -

Participation and Civic Engagement Proposals to increase voting – Keeping polls open longer on election day – Making Election Day a national holiday – Same day registration – Compulsory voting laws – More government classes in high schools

Political Alienation Political alienation – seperation between governed and the government or the political system Results from – Diffuse political support