1. Chapter 5: Political Participation
American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 10/e
By Neal Tannahill
2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.
2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. Case Study: 2008 Election
More people voted in 2008 than in any previous American presidential election.
Primary vote up 47% in Missouri, up 69% in Pennsylvania
November General Election turnout: 131 million, or 61.6% of the voting eligible population
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4. Forms of Participation
Political participation is an activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government action.
The most common form of political participation is voting.
Other methods of participation include election campaigning, contacting public officials, joining and/or supporting interest groups, and engaging in unconventional political acts, such as protest demonstrations.
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5. Explaining Participation
The most important factors influencing individual participation are:
personal resources
psychological engagement
voter mobilization
community involvement
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6. Patterns of Participation
Political science research shows that political participation rates vary based on:
income
age
race/ethnicity
gender
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8. Nonvoters Dopplet and Sheerer identify five groups of nonvoters:
Doers- Choose not to vote
Unpluggeds-out of touch with issues/parties
Irritables-Angry
Don’t Knows-no information to make decisions
Alienateds-Turned off by the system
Trends in Voter Turnout
“Voting age population” (VAP), minus those not eligible to vote (convicted criminals, non-citizens, etc.) is the “voting eligible population” (VEP)
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10. Participation Rates in Comparative Perspective
Why is U.S. voter turnout generally lower than in other democracies?
American election process more cumbersome
Weaker political parties
Perception that candidate selection has little impact on policy
Americans vote less, but are more politically active in other ways than citizens of other countries.
2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

11. Increasing Voter Turnout
The Government Accounting Office suggests three changes to increase voter turnout:
adjustments of registration deadlines
toll-free numbers to request absentee ballots
increased use of mail-in and Internet balloting
National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter law) increased voter registration, but not voter turnout.
2004 and 2008 election turnout suggests the U.S. is experiencing “voter revival.”
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12. Participation Bias
The characteristics of individuals who are more likely to participate politically than others are:
older
employed
better educated
Married
own their homes
attend church
identify with a political party
belong to a political organization
identify with their ethnic group, particularly if they believe their group suffers discrimination
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13. Conclusion: Political Participation and Public Policy
Agenda Building – Individuals, individually and collectively, can affect the nation’s policy agenda
Policy formulation and adoption – Carolyn McCarthy, candidate for congress, ran over gun control issue, won campaign based partly on specific policy votes
Policy Implementation and Evaluation – Lawsuit by a construction company challenged federal contracting procedures, forced change in federal contract award practice
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