1. VOTING and ELECTIONS

2. Voter Participation Across the Globe
U.S.A.
50%
U.K.
77%
Canada
70%
France
80%
Mexico
60%
Russia
55%
Brazil
100%
India
53%
Japan
67%
Australia
95%

3. Voter Participation Across the Globe
Austria
58%
Venezuela
64%
Belize
90%
South Africa
92%
Denmark
85%
Malta
96%
Greece
99%

4. suffrage
= the right to vote

5. Expanding the Electorate:
“The Voting Amendments”
th Amendment
suffrage extended to African
American men
th Amendment
suffrage extended to women
rd Amendment
D.C. granted 3 electoral votes
th Amendment
poll tax declared unconstitutional
th Amendment
suffrage extended to 18 year-olds

6. CONVENTIONAL vs. UNCONVENTIONAL POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Conventional Methods
Registering to vote
VOTING
Writing letters or s to your representative or senator
Making a phone call to your representative or senator
Forming an interest group
Joining an interest group
Making financial contributions to campaigns or interest groups
Unconventional Methods
Boston Tea Party
Shay’s Rebellion
participating in boycotts or
protests (WTO, World Bank)
camping outside President Bush’s
ranch to protest the Iraq War
throwing red paint on those
who wear fur coats to protest
animal cruelty

7. Voting Rights Act of 1965

8. Voting Rights Act of 1965
applied to ALL elections held anywhere in this country--local, state, and national
suspended the use of any literacy tests or similar device in any state or county
where less than half of the electorate had been registered to vote in the
1964 presidential election
authorized the Attorney General to appoint voting examiners
to serve in any of those states or counties
gave federal officers the right to register voters
and otherwise oversee the conduct of the elections
in those areas
this Act provided for major changes in voter
registration and elections in six states--Alabama,
Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina,
and VIRGINIA, and 40 counties in North Carolina

9. Voter Turnout in the United States
Year % Turnout of Voting Age Population
* Presidential election years in bold;
off-year (mid-term) elections in plain type
U.S. Census Bureau

10. Registered Voters 

11. Voting Behavior
Voting is the most common form of conventional political participation
Turnout is the proportion of the electorate who votes
States regulate voter eligibility
Voters are more educated and make more money
Voters are likely to be middle-aged, women, and white
The South traditionally has the lowest voter turnout rate

12. Turnout of Eligible Voters

13. Voting in the South v. Non-South

14. Voter Eligibility

15. Why Is Turnout so Low?
In 2008, 62 percent of eligible voters turned out
Most common reason for not voting is being too busy
Registration can also be an unclear process
Absentee voting can be difficult
There are a lot of elections
People are apathetic
Political parties have less influence than in earlier years

16. Why People Don’t Vote 

17. Ways to Improve Voter Turnout
Make registration and absentee voting easier
Make Election Day a holiday
Strengthen political parties

18. Reported Voting in 2000 Background % of VAP Reported White 60.4
U.S. Census Bureau
Background % of VAP Reported
White 60.4
Black 53.5
Hispanic 27.5
Asian/ 25.4
Pacific Islander
Education % of VAP Reported
Less than 9th Grade 39.3
9th-12th, no diploma 38.0
HS or GED
Some college
B.A
Advanced
degree
Age % of VAP Reported

19. Group Voting Patterns

20. personal What are the major factors that influence voters’ decisions?
background
loyalty to
political parties
campaign issues
voter’s image of
a candidate
propaganda

21. Purposes of Elections
Legitimize government, even in authoritarian systems
Organize government
Choose issue and policy priorities
Electorate gives winners a mandate

22. Types of Elections Primary elections can be open or closed
Crossover voting or raiding can occur in open primaries
Runoff primaries held if no candidate wins a majority
General elections determine who will fill public offices
Ballot measures: initiative, referendum, and recall

23. Nominating a President
Delegates to convention chosen by election or caucus
Iowa Caucus, New Hampshire Primary
Elections may be winner-take-all or proportional
Caucuses are better for the party organization
Elections allow for broader participation
Trend toward front-loading

24. Front-loading 

26. Party Conventions Each party has its own rules about delegates
Delegates tied to candidate, except superdelegates
Require representation of women and minorities
Republicans do not bind delegates to candidate
Media extensively cover happenings

27. Women at Conventions 

28. The Electoral College
Representatives from each state who select president
Electors equivalent to senators plus representatives
Framers favored system to remove power from people
Originally president and vice president selected alone
Changed after 12th Amendment
1876 and 2000 elections demonstrate concerns

29. The Electoral College
U.S. House 435
U.S. Senate 100
D.C
Total 538

30. (or the vote goes to the House of Representatives)
270/538 needed to win
(or the vote goes to the House of Representatives)

31. The Electoral College 

34. Reforming the Electoral College
Three major proposals have been made:
Select the president by popular vote
Each congressional district has a vote
Keep the College, abolish the electors

35. Reforming the Electoral Process
End front-loading with regional primaries
Even the playing field with new campaign finance laws
Increase turnout with online voting or voting by mail
Make voting more accessible with a modern ballot

36. Electronic Voting Machines

37. Congressional Elections
In Congress, incumbency has its advantages
Support from a paid staff
Media and travel budgets
“Scaring off” other challengers
Redistricting and gerrymandering to protect incumbents

38. Gerrymandering 

39. 2008 Congressional Elections
Democrats advantaged by momentum and money
Used these to make gains in House and Senate
Victories in South and West were particularly notable

40. Why Incumbents Lose
Redistricting can pit incumbents against one another
Scandals or personal misconduct
Presidential coattails
Midterm elections; president’s party usually loses seats