1. Chapter 8 Political Participation

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3. Political Participation THEN
In most states, well into the 19th century, only property-owning white males could vote
Andrew Jackson changed that

4. Political Participation THEN
1842 law: House members elected by district – to be more representative of their constituents
15th Amendment (1870): seemed to give suffrage to African Americans
19th Amendment (1920): Women given suffrage
23rd Amendment (1961): Gave DC residents the right to vote in presidential elections
26th Amendment (1971): 18-year-olds given suffrage

5. Political Participation NOW
In areas where many non-English speakers live, election authorities MUST supply ballots in their home language
Chinese, Spanish, Serbian, Korean
Many states also allow people to vote the same day that they register
Between 1860 – 1900, the percentage of eligible voters participating in presidential elections ranged from 65 – 80%
Now we have dipped to as low as 50%

6. In San Francisco, voting instructions are printed in English, Spanish, and Chinese
Daniel Brody

7. A Closer Look At Nonvoting
VAP vs. VEP
Voting-Age Population: All US residents age 18 or older – in = 231 million = 53.6% voter turnout rate
Voting-Eligible Population: Excludes US residents that are not legally permitted to cast a ballot – in = 213 million = 58.2% voter turnout rate
Non-citizens - illegal immigrants or refugees
Convicted felons – jailed or released

8. Should convicted felons be eligible to vote? In California? In US?
For Discussion
Should convicted felons be eligible to vote? In California? In US?

9. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
The gap between VAP & VEP has grown recently
Register voters v. Non-registered Voters
Sources of low voter turnout
a relatively low percentage of the voting-age population is registered to vote
approximately one-half of all nonvoters are registered
US ranks dead LAST in voter turnout at 47.7%
Citizens who are registered are more likely to vote

10. Hypothesize:
What could be a cause in the gap between VAP and VEP increasing in recent years?
Source: Updated from Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Popkin, “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter,” American Political Science Review 95 (December 2001):
table 1, 966. Reprinted with permission of Cambridge University Press; Michael P. McDonald, “2008 General Election Turnout Rates,” updated April 26, 2009, at
accessed May 8, 2009.
Copyright © 2013 Cengage

11. What 5 countries are on the TOP of BOTH lists?
Source: Rafael Lopez Pintor, Maria Gratschew, and Kate Sullivan, “Voter Turnout Rates from a Comparative Perspective,” in Voter Turnout Since 1945: A Global Report (Stockholm, Sweden: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2002).
Copyright © 2013 Cengage

12. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Registered nonvoters gave three major reasons why they did not vote:
1) Too busy or had scheduling conflicts
Work, etc… = 25%
2) Family chores or obligations = 12%
3) Believed their vote would not make a difference = 12%
Since school, work, and other scheduling conflicts is the # 1 reason to not vote, some have proposed making election day a national holiday or holding national elections on weekends – Thoughts??

13. Look at the voter turnout rates for: Ages 18 – 20 Ages 21 – 24
Source: Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, June 2008, Table 400.
Look at the voter turnout rates for:
Ages 18 – 20
Ages 21 – 24
Hypothesize as to WHY they are SO low?
Brainstorm ideas to increase voter turnout among the YOUNGEST voters. Ideas???

14. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Those don’t want a national holiday for voting because
Mail-in ballots
No-fault absentee voting
Non-registered voters MUST become registered voters – in order to increased voter turnout –How do we register them?
In most European countries, registration is done for you by the government
In the US, the onus to register is on the individual person – takes EFFORT

15. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
In 1993, the Motor Voter Law was passed
In all 50 states, you can register to vote when you apply for your driver’s license
Impact on voter participation remains hard to interpret definitively
By 2010, motor-voter law-related means of registration were the SINGLE most widely used – seen on next slide
A get-out-the-vote (GOTV) drive can make only a small difference depending on the tactic used
Door-to-door canvassing & phone calls demonstrated statistically significant results

16. Figure 8.1 Voting and Registration
Brainstorm:
What other convenient ways can we register people WHO DON’T have a driver’s license?
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
“Voting and Registration,” June 2008.
Copyright © 2013 Cengage

17. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Voting is MOST POPULAR form of political participation
Other ways are:
1) Joining civic associations
2) Supporting social movements
3) Writing to legislators
4) Fighting city hall
5) Attending a board meeting
6) Giving money to a candidate
Maybe other reasons why people DON’T vote is because they are reasonably well satisfied with how the country is governed

18. The Rise of the American Electorate
Aliens are allowed to vote if they have already started the naturalization process
From State to Federal Control
Literacy test – had to show they could read before registering to vote
Poll tax – a fee in order to register to vote
Grandfather clause – if ancestors voted before 1867
White primary
After Reconstruction ended in 1876, black voting shrank under the attacks of white supremacists
Department of Social History/Smithsonian Institution

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20. The Rise of the American Electorate
White primary – the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through means of intimidation, threatening, and harassment
Grandfather clause unconstitutional in 1915
White primary fell in 1944
A dramatic change did not occur until 1965 with the passage of the Voting Rights Act
Suspended literacy tests
Appointed federal examiners who handled black voter registration in states and counties
Black voter registration went from 5% - 70% between 1960 – 1970 (Freedom Summer)

21. (Voting population DOUBLED)
After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, blacks and whites voted together in a small Alabama town
Flip Schulke/CORBIS
The campaign to win the vote for
women nationwide succeeded with the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920
(Voting population DOUBLED)
Library of Congress
Copyright © 2013 Cengage

22. The Rise of the American Electorate
Voter Turnout: Is the decline real?
YES:
There is a decline of popular interest in elections
A weakening of the competitiveness of the two major parties
NO:
In the 1800’s and early 1900’s voting fraud was commonplace and there were few serious efforts to deter this behavior
Voting percentages were inflated

23. Figure 8.2 Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, 1860–2008
Replace with jpeg, p. 181
What are the 4 lowest years of voter turnout?
Hypothesize WHY the reasons for WHY those years had the LOWEST voter turnout?

24. The Rise of the American Electorate
Until around the beginning of the 20th century, voting fraud was frequent, because it was easy
It was easy for a person to vote more than once
Party machines (Boss Tweed) made use of “floaters” or repeaters
Slogan – “Vote early and often” – really happened
Often the number of votes counted was larger than the number of votes cast
The number of votes cast were more than the eligible voting population (VEP)
Australian Ballot – government ballot of uniform size and shape that was cast in SECRET
Ballots used to be printed by political parties and cast in public – intimidation if you voted for the “WRONG” person

25. The Rise of the American Electorate
These changes no only reduced fraudulent voting but also reduced voting in general
A reform to correct one problem, caused another – not the 1st time this has happened
After the 2000 election voting problems in Florida the federal government made changes to the nation’s voting system
A system for counting disputed ballots
Federal $ to upgrade voting equipment, procedures, and training for election officials
Stopped short of creating a uniform national voting system – Elections (state’s right)

26. For Discussion
Should voter registration & voting be compulsory? In California? In US?

27. Who Participates in Politics?
The poor, less educated, and minorities are the most common non-voters
Universal turnout among them would strongly benefit Democratic candidates and liberal causes
Work, family, church & other voluntary activities come first in terms of how Americans spend their $ and time
In a study, Sidney Verba and Norman Nie found that 1/5 (22%) of the population is completely INACTIVE in political participation

28. Who Participates in Politics?
6 Kinds of US citizens
1) Inactives: rarely vote, contribute to political organizations, or discuss politics; have little education, low income, young, many blacks = 22%
2) Voting specialists: vote but do little else; not much education or income, older
3) Campaigners: vote, get involved in campaign activities, more educated, interested in politics, identify with a party, take strong positions, NOT afraid of conflict

29. Who Participates in Politics?
6 Kinds of US citizens continued…
4) Communalists: nonpartisan community activists with a local focus, DON’T want conflict
5) Parochial participants: don’t vote or participate in campaigns or political organizations, but do contact politicians about specific problems
6) Activists: Participate in all forms of politics; highly educated, high income, middle age = 11%

30. Young women volunteers work rebuilding an area in Katrina-damaged
In 2010 supporters of President Obama urged people to vote, but turnout fell and the Democrats suffered major losses
MIKE THEILER/EPA/Landov
Young women volunteers work
rebuilding an area in Katrina-damaged
New Orleans
Kayte Deioma/PhotoEdit

31. Figure 8.3 Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections
What factor causes the highest voter turnout? WHY?

32. Participation: Causes & Meaning
The more schooling one has the more likely they are to vote
Voter turnout in US is low compared to other democracies around the world BUT
In the US we elect far more public officials than the citizens of any other nation – federal, state, & local officials
Latinos are the largest & fastest growing minority group in America – most underrepresented

33. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
M E M O R A N D U M To: Senator Henry Gilbert From: Peter Clark, legislative analyst Subject: Voting reform legislation In the 1990s, barely half of the electorate voted for president, and only a third or so cast ballots for congressional elections. In a few recent presidential primaries and statewide special elections, turnout has run 10 percent or below. Studies show that often citizens miss the opportunity to vote because of complications with work or child care. To address this problem, legislators from both parties support celebrating Veterans Day on Election Day, which would create a national holiday for voting. Eligible voters who do not go to the polls would be fined.

34. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Arguments for: 1. This proposal honors veterans by recognizing their service with the fundamental requirement of representative democracy, rule by the people through voting. 2. A voting holiday ensures that people who cannot take off time from work or other responsibilities to vote have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right. 3. Imposing a fine for nonvoting sends a moral message that voting is a civic duty in a democracy. More citizens will feel morally obliged to vote if all citizens are legally obliged to do so.

35. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Arguments against: 1. Just as veterans volunteer their service, so, too, should citizens volunteer to exercise their democratic responsibilities. 2. Voting is a right, but citizens have a civic duty to exercise that right, and the government should not, in effect, exercise that duty on their behalf. Moreover, people can vote by absentee ballot at their convenience. 3. Compulsory voting does not guarantee informed voting. It is both unwise and undemocratic to legally oblige people to vote.

36. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Your decision: Vote for bill? ______ - WHY?
Vote against bill? ____ - Why NOT?