1. Chapter 8 Political Participation

2. First of all, who can vote?
1 – US citizens 2 – resident of the state you’re voting in 3 – you must be over 18 4 – you must be registered - Some states deny right to vote to felons. We’ll get to that later…

3. Rise of the American electorate
Electorate means the “potential voting population” – now over 205 million!!
Important amendments that have expanded suffrage…
15th Amendment extended voting rights to all males, regardless of color, over 21
17th amendment: senators chosen by popular vote instead of state legislatures
19th Amendment allowed women to vote
24th Amendment and Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated poll taxes
26th Amendment allowed everyone over 18 to vote (Vietnam war impact)
How does expanding the electorate make the US make democratic?

4. Tools that have limited black enfranchisement throughout US History…
Literacy Tests: requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote
Poll Taxes: requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote
Grandfather Clauses: A clause in registration laws that banned any person from voting if their ancestors did not vote before 1867
White Primary: the practice of preventing voting for black citizens through intimidation

5. Voting Rights of 1965
By 1965, efforts to break the grip of state disfranchisement had been under way, but had achieved only modest success overall and in some areas had proved almost entirely ineffectual.
Attacks in Selma on peaceful marchers along with the murders in Mississippi finally brought change.
Voting Rights Act of Prohibited any government from using voting procedures that denied a person the vote on the basis of race or color.
Abolished Literacy tests to anyone who has completed the 6th grade or higher.

6. Civil Rights Act of 1965
The Civil Rights Act of 1965 was enacted as a response to the nearly century-long history of voting discrimination.
Section 5 prohibits eligible districts from enacting changes to their election laws and procedures without gaining official authorization.
States and local jurisdictions covered under the Act must submit all changes affecting voting and elections for preapproval by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

7. Political Participation
Definition: encompasses the many activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.
Voting
Protesting
Demonstrations
Interest Groups

8. Voting Age Populations
Voting Age Population- Citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age.
Includes those who are ineligible to vote, i.e. felons, resident aliens.
Voting Eligible Population- measures those who are legally permitted to cast a ballot
In 2008 the VAP was 231 million but the VEP was 18 million less

9. The Power of Demographics
Big Idea: Political Scientists have long noticed the correlation between demographics and voting behavior. After elections, exit polls and other surveys are conducted to draw conclusions about which people vote and how and why they voted as they did

10. Demographic factors in voting
Age- older people are more likely to vote that are younger people. Historically younger people will support democrats
Income- People with more income are more likely to vote. Historically those with lower income will vote democratic
Education- People with more education are more likely to vote.
Historically as level of voters’ educated increases the percentage voting republican increases, however proved the exception to the rule

11. Factors influencing voter turnout
Gender- Women vote at a higher rate than men. In % of all votes came from women
Religion- Jews and Catholics are more likely to vote than protestants
Historically, a majority of protestants have supported Republican candidates while a majority of Jewish and Catholic voters have supported Democratic candidates
Race- Whites tend to have higher turnout rates compared to other groups in the US. Note when you remove income and education, blacks vote at a higher rate.
Election Issue
Voters Prevented or Discouraged from Voting
Voter Registration Issues
3 million (+)
Disenfranchisement of Ex-Offenders*
1 million
Election Equipment and Ballot Design
3-500,000
Unnecessarily Long Lines and other Fixable Poll Procedures
250,000 (+)
Voters with Disabilities
1 – 1.5 million
Low Literacy/Limited Language
1 million (+)
Inconvenience/ Election on Workday (including lack of convenient early voting options)
Problems with Receiving, Returning or Counting Mail-in Ballots
200,000 (+)
TOTAL "LOST" VOTES
Over 8 million

12. Voter Turnout Statistics
At the present time there are approximately 230 million people of voting age in the United States
Only about 60% of eligible voters voted in the presidential election election was 55%
The voter turnout rate in the United states is slower than in most other Western Democracies.

13. Data is from 2004 Pew Research.
Discussion Questions:
Is turnout important? Why or why not?
Discuss reasons for high and low turnout – What are all the potential reasons? Brainstorm and put on board.
Which reasons might make sense for the countries listed here?
Which countries had mandatory voting? Is this a good idea?
Notes:
Data is for most recent elections in each country
Country (The country of the election) Type (The type of election, either Presidential or Parliamentary.) Year (The year that the election took place) Argentina Presidential 2007 Australia Parliamentary 2007 Brazil Presidential 2006 Canada Parliamentary 2008 Chile Presidential 2006 India Parliamentary 2004 New Zealand Parliamentary 2008 United Kingdom Parliamentary 2005 United States Presidential 2008
Data is from 2004 Pew Research.

15. 4 Models of Voter Behavior
How do people vote?
Political scientists have defined several models of voter behavior in an attempt to explain the different motivations of voters:

16. Rational Choice Theory
Describes someone voting in their best interest, supporting the candidate whose platform will give them the most favorable outcomes.

17. Retrospective voting
Describes voting based on the recent record in office of a candidate or others in their party.

18. Prospective voting
Describes voting based on how a citizen thinks a candidate will act and perform if elected to office.

19. Party Line Voting
Describes consistently voting for candidates of the same political party at all levels of government

20. Voter Apathy
Although we vote at lower rates in the U.S., the meaning of our vote is different
We elected more public officials than any other nation in the world
There are more than a half a million elective offices in the United States
U.S. citizens elect State Senators, Representatives, Governors, county officers, town officers court members, school board members, and county supervisors, to name a few

21. 4 Factors that decrease turnout
Trouble with Voter Registration
Registration has caused another obstacle that discourages some people from registering to vote
National Voter Act or Motor Voter Law- made voter registration easier by allowing people to register to vote while applying for a drivers license
Decline in Efficacy
Voter Efficacy: the belief that your vote matters
As discussed earlier, the more lack of trust in government lowers the voter turnout
Weekday, Non Holiday Voting
Many western democracies hold their elections on weekends or holidays
Most election in the United States are held on the first Tuesday after the First Monday in November
Many Elections
Americas electoral system has the most elections than any other Western democracy
Lower-turnout in Midterm elections compared to presidential
The large number of elections, candidates, TV ads and the length of the election process turns voters off of participation
Voter Fatigue

22. Voting Rights Differ at State Level
Elections are conducted at the state level
Each state has their own set of laws that can hamper or help turnout levels
For example, a state like Virginia has made voting difficult or as they might argue a privilege…

23. Virginia Voter Requirements
Eligibility Requirements
You must be a citizen of the United States by birth or naturalization.
You must be a resident of Virginia not claiming a residency in another state.
You must be 18 years old on or before the date of the next general election.
You must NOT have been convicted of a felony, unless your rights have been restored by the governor or other authority.
You must NOT have been judged to be mentally incompetent by a circuit court, unless your rights have been restored by the circuit court.

24. 4 Other Factors that influence voter choice
1. Party identification and ideological orientation
- Democrat/Republican?
-Liberal/Conservative
2. Candidate characteristics
- Young/Old
- Tall/short
- Weak/strong
- Think of television with the Nixon/Kennedy debate
3. Contemporary political issues
- Big issues of the day is immigration, security, and the economy. Michigan=Fix the Damn Roads
4. Religious beliefs or affiliations , gender, race, ethnicity, demographics
-Think back to our last chapter/unit…

25. Finally…
Political scientists have long noticed the correlation between demographics and voting behavior…
Gender Gap: In 2016, 53 % of men voted for Trump, 41% for Clinton. 54 % of women voted for Clinton. 42 % for Trump.
Age: Younger voters do not show up to vote. More older do.
Blacks: Decreased turn-out in general. Historical reasons why?
Asians: Traditionally have voted Republican due to fiscal/money policies. Recently trended more toward Democrats. Increasing turnout