1. Chapter 8 Political Participation

2. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Would it be a good thing if nearly 100% of voting-aged people participated in elections?
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3. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Basic question: How should we calculate voter participation?
VOTING VOCABULARY
Voting-age population (VAP) – citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement.
Voting-eligible population (VEP) – VAP minus felons and mentally incompetent persons. (Not legally eligible to vote.)
Registered voters – people who are registered to vote.

4. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
If we use VAP, only 56.9% of “the people” participated in 2008 election.
If we use VEP, 62.2% of “the people” participated in 2008 election.
If we use registered voters, 89.6% participated in 2008 election (National Atlas of the USA, U.S. Dept. of Interior)
Which is the best way to measure political participation?
Source: United States Election Project, Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University

5. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Participation in mid-term congressional elections is much lower.
VEP VAP
% %
(Presidential)
% %
(Mid-term)
% %
Source: United States Election Project, Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University

6. Figure 8.2 Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, 1860-2008
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Note: Several southern states did not participate in the 1864 and 1868 elections.
Sources: For 1860–1928: Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, 1071; 1932–1944: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1992, 517; 1948–2000: Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Popkin, “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter,” American Political Science Review 95 (December 2001): table 1, 966; 2004 and 2008 elections, American National Election Studies (ANES).
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7. Figure 8.3 Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections
Source: Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, June 2008, Table 400.
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8. Black/White Turnout, 2012 Election
For the first time, voter turnout among blacks exceeded that of whites.
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9. Figure 8.3 Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections
Source: Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, June 2008, Table 400.
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Which party would benefit the most from expanding the electorate?

10. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Would it be a good thing if nearly 100% of voting-aged people participated in elections?
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11. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Is this good enough?
Why don’t more people vote?
What can/should we do about it?
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12. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
When asked, registered voters who did not vote gave three reasons for not voting:
(1) Too busy (About 1/4).
(2) Family chores or obligations (12 percent).
(3) They believed their vote would not matter
(12 percent).
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13. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Voter apathy is not the problem. A majority of registered voters vote on Election Day.
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14. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
Most observers conclude that the cumbersome voter registration process is the main problem with getting Americans to the polls.
I’ll need to see two photo IDs and your birth certificate, please.
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15. A Closer Look at Nonvoting Six causes of low voter turnout:
Registration process
Frequency of elections
Party differences (or lack thereof)
Difficulty of absentee voting
Large number of offices to elect
Weekday voting
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16. CAUSES OF NONVOTING: REGISTRATION
Registration began around 1900 to fight illegal voting big city political machines. (Progressive reform.)
Registration reduced illegal voting but burdened honest citizens.
In other nations, government is responsible for maintaining voter registration. In the U.S., individual is responsible.
Scholars estimate that voter turnout would increase by 10% with European-style registration.

17. CAUSES OF NONVOTING: REGISTRATION
Registration requirements have become more difficult:
longer residency requirements
registration has to occur far in advance of elections
Discrimination
“Motor Voter” registration (1993) has had only a small impact.

18. Figure 8.1 Method of Registration
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
“Voting and Registration,” June 2008, Figure 6.
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19. A Closer Look at Nonvoting
CAUSES OF NONVOTING: FREQUENCY
The U.S. holds elections more often than other nations. American voters go to the polls 2-3 times as often as European voters.
National offices chosen in even-numbered years; most state and local offices chosen in odd-numbered years.
Primary elections used to choose nominees.

20. CAUSES OF NONVOTING: PARTY DIFFERENCES
European democracies have multi-party systems. Parties have formed along class, ethnic, religious and social divisions. Euro-voters can usually find a ballot choice that conforms to their own views.
The two-party system requires each party to seek broad support from “the middle” by adopting similar stands on issues. This reduces voter choice, and thus motivation to vote.
In most elections, party differences are not pronounced. Voters conclude that election outcome will not substantially affect their future.

21. DIFFICULTY OF ABSENTEE VOTING
CAUSES OF NONVOTING:
DIFFICULTY OF ABSENTEE VOTING
Voters can only cast ballots in their own precincts.
If a voter is going to be out of town (business trip, college) he must arrange to vote by absentee ballot.
Most states have strict absentee voting rules.
This requires an additional effort and often a personal visit to the registrar.

22. CAUSES OF NONVOTING:
OTHER REASONS
Number of offices to elect – Americans are asked to vote for many officials at multiple levels. Don’t know what the offices are, who’s running for what, etc.
Weekday, non-holiday voting – Many European democracies have elections on weekends or create a holiday. In the U.S., federal law sets national Election Day on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

23. Impact of the 2000 Election
States run elections. Practices are inconsistent across states.
Serious problems with Florida’s electoral process focused attention on the need for reform.
Close results and complaints of voter confusion led to recounts and court challenges.

24. Impact of the 2000 Election
November 7, 2000 Election Day: By 8:00 pm, all major television networks declared Al Gore the winner of Florida’s 25 electoral votes.
When more results come in, networks begin changing their projections.
Al Gore concedes the election. Then, at 3:00 a.m. November 8, he calls George W. Bush and retracts his concession.

25. Impact of the 2000 Election
November 8: Official Florida vote count shows Bush with a 1,210 vote lead out of 6 million votes cast.
Vote tallies in some counties show an unusually large number of votes for third-party candidates.
November 9: Gore campaign officially requests a manual recount in four Florida counties.
November 10: Automatic recount completed showing Bush with a 327 vote lead state-wide.

26. Impact of the 2000 Election
November 13: Federal district court rejects Bush request to halt manual recounts.
November 26: Florida state officials certify Bush as the winner by 537 votes.
November 27: Gore challenges certified results in Florida state court.
December 1: U.S. Supreme Court hears appeal from Bush on manual recount.

27. Impact of the 2000 Election
December 9: U.S. Supreme Court orders halt to manual recount that has been ongoing since November 11.
December 11: Supreme Court hears arguments in Bush v Gore.
December 12: Supreme Court rules 5-4 that the Florida recount must stop.
December 13: Al Gore concedes the election.

28. The infamous Florida “butterfly ballot”
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29. Copyright © 2011 Cengage

30. Several Florida districts recounted votes by hand.

31. In December 2000, in the case of Bush v. Gore, the U. S
In December 2000, in the case of Bush v. Gore, the U.S. Supreme Court declared George W. Bush to be the winner of the 2000 election.

32. Impact of the 2000 Election
George W. Bush was “confirmed” as the new president by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The debacle led to a national discussion on voting procedures and technology.
Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 to provide funding to states to update election equipment and procedural standards.

33. History of the American Electorate

34. History of the American Electorate
In the early 1800s, only white, male, property-owners could vote.
By 1840, all states had dropped the property requirement. (universal male suffrage)
Fifteenth Amendment (1870) expanded suffrage to black males.
States quickly moved to block voting rights for blacks.

35. History of the American Electorate
Jim Crow laws quickly eroded black voting rights.
Literacy tests, poll taxes and grandfather clauses used to disenfranchise black men.

36. History of the American Electorate
Women’s suffrage movement began before Civil War.
Nineteenth Amendment extended right to vote to women in 1920.
Size of electorate doubled, but women slow to begin voting.

37. History of the American Electorate
24th Amendment (1964) outlawed poll taxes.
Voting Rights Act (1965) outlawed literacy tests and gave federal government more control over state electoral practices.
Net effect: Expansion of the electorate as more blacks than ever are eligible to vote.

38. History of the American Electorate
1960s – period of increased political activism on college campuses.
Vietnam War was catalyst.
26th Amendment (1971) lowered voting age from 21 to 18.
Low voter turnout among year-olds from the beginning.

39. Source: Adapted from U. S
Source: Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, June 2008, Table 400.
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40. Intense GOTV drives by both parties.
1964 & 1965
24th Amendment
(no poll tax)
Voting Rights Act
(no literacy tests)
2004 & 2008
Intense GOTV drives by both parties.
1870
15th Amendment
(black men)
1920
19th Amendment
(women)
1971
26th Amendment
(18-20 year olds)
1896
Progressive Movement
(voter registration)

41. Forms of Political Participation
(Verba & Nie)
Inactives (22%): Rarely vote, contribute to political organizations, or discuss politics (little education, low income, young, many blacks.)
Voting specialists: Vote but do little else; not much education or income, older.
Campaigners: Vote and get involved in campaign activities; Very interested in politics; identify with a party. More educated.
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42. Forms of Participation
(Verba & Nie)
Communalists: Nonpartisan community activists with a local focus.
Parochial participants: Don’t vote or participate in campaigns or political organizations, but contact politicians about specific problems (parochial: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook.)
Activists (11%): Participate in all forms of politics (highly educated, high income, middle aged.)
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43. Who Participates? Education/Income
Education: the single most important indicator of political activity.
The more education a person has, the more likely he/she is to vote.
College educated or higher income people more than twice as likely to vote than high school educated or lower income.
Possible reason: the well-educated better understand complex societal issues.
Or, they better understand the importance of civic responsibility.

44. Who Participates? Religion
“Religion increases political participation” is too sweeping a statement. “Certain types of religious expression” can sometimes increase political participation.
Regular churchgoers are more likely to vote than those who do not attend.
Regardless of religious tradition, those whose form of religious expression involves high levels of both public and private service are more likely to join voluntary associations.
Religion is a significant factor in determining who votes but no more than education or income.

45. Who Participates? Race/Ethnicity
Whites have higher voting rates than blacks or Latinos when only race is considered.
When studies control for income and education, blacks and Hispanics vote at a higher rate than whites.
Turnout rates (% of VEP who voted)
White:
Black:
Hispanic:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

46. Who Participates? Age
Voting levels for year olds is lowest for any age category.
Highest levels are for people over 45.
Many young voters were attracted to the younger, charismatic Barack Obama, but....
....in 2008 young voters were an estimated 18% of the electorate compared to 17% in 2004.

47. Who Participates? Age

48. Who Participates? Gender
Since 1980, voter turnout among women has been higher than that among men.
2012 election: Women 53% of actual voters, men 47%
This is a new trend following decades of lower participation.
Safest generalization: Women and men vote at about the same rates.

49. Source: American National Election Studies
Ticket-splitting
Definition: Voting for candidates from different parties on the same ballot.
Antonym: Voting a “straight ticket.”
Source: American National Election Studies