1. ELECTIONS

2. Political Participation  Forms of political participation  Voting in elections  is most common form of political participation Is basis of democratic process According to democratic theory, everyone should be allowed to vote, but in practice all nations have requirements for voting  Discussing politics and attending political meetings  Forming interest groups and PACs  Contacting public officials  Campaigning for a candidate or political party  Contributing $ to a candidate or political party  Running for office  Most of these are considered conventional or routine

3.  Less conventional methods are used when groups feel powerless or ineffective  Americans are less approving, but can be effective in influencing government  Protesting government decisions Can be violent – like protests against the Vietnam War convinced LBJ to not run for reelection in 1968  The Internet – a single gaffe can cause major problems for a candidate – especially things that can be posted by supporters of the opposing candidate

4. Expansion of Suffrage  Suffrage: right to vote  Political right that belongs to all those who meet certain requirements set by law  The US was the first nation to provide for general elections of representatives through mass suffrage  Issue of suffrage is left to the states Only stipulation: individuals who could vote for “the most numerous branch of the state legislature” could also vote for their Congressional representatives

5.  Composition of the electorate (eligible, registered voters) has changed throughout history  2 major trends: Elimination of restrictive requirements Transfer of more authority from states

6.  Changes in voting requirements include: Elimination of religious qualifications, property ownership, and tax payments after 1800 Elimination of race disqualifications with the passage of the 15 th Amendment in 1870 Elimination of gender disqualifications with the passage of the 19 th Amendment in 1920 Elimination of grandfather clauses, white primaries, literacy requirements w/ the passage offederal civil rights legislation and court decisions (Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Act of 1965)

7. Allowing DC residents to vote in presidential elections with the passage of the 23 rd Amendment in 1961 Elimination of poll taxes in federal elections w/ the passage of the 24 th Amendment in 1964 (all poll taxes were ruled unconstitutional in Harper v Virginia State Board of Elections, 1966) Lowering the minimum age for voting in federal elections to 18 w/ the passage of the 26 th Amendment in 1971

8. Issue or Policy Voting  Thanks to the Progressive Movement of early 20 th century – mechanisms for increased direct participation  Direct primary: allows citizens to nominate candidates  Recall: special election initiated by petition to allow citizens to remove an official from office before a term expires  Referendum: allows citizens to vote directly on issues called propositions (proposed laws or state constitutional amendments)  Initiative: allows voters to petition to propose issues to be decided by qualified voters

9. Low Voter Turnout  Studies show voter turnout in US has decreased when compared w/ other nations and when compared w/ the US over time  Turnout is higher if:  Election is seen as important  It’s a presidential election, not an off- year

10.  Reasons to account for low voter turnout:  Expansion of electorate – increase in the number of potential voters (26 th Amendment)  Failure of political parties to mobilize voters – negative campaigning, numerous elections, frequent elections, lack of party identification  No perceived differences between the candidates or parties – both parties & their candidates are seen as virtually the same  Mistrust of gov’t – belief that all candidates are untrustworthy or unresponsive (partially due to Watergate, Iran-Contra scandals)

11.  Apathy – lack of interest in politics; belief that voting is not important  Satisfaction with the way things are – belief that not voting will keep the status quo  Lack of political efficacy – people do not believe their vote out of millions cast will make a difference  Mobility of electorate – moving around leads to a lack of social belonging  Registration process – differences in registration procedures from state to state may create barriers; National Voter Registration Act of 1995 (Motor Voter Law) was designed to make registration easier by allowing people to register at drivers’ license bureaus & some public offices

12. Who Votes?  Factors that affect likelihood of voting:  Education – higher level of education, more likely a person to vote Most important indicator of voting behavior  Occupation & income – often depend on education; white-collar jobs & higher levels of income are more likely to vote than those w/ blue-collar jobs or lower levels of income  Age – older people are more likely to vote than youth  Race – minorities are less likely to vote than whites, unless they have similar socioeconomic status  Gender – women more likely to vote than men At one time gender was not a major predictor

13.  Religion – those who are more active w/in their religion are more likely to vote than those who rarely or do not attend services  Marital status – married people are more likely to vote than singles  Union membership – unions encourage participation, members tend to vote regularly  Community membership – those well integrated into community life are more likely to vote than those who have moved recently  Party identification – those w/ a strong sense of party identification are more likely to vote  Geography – residents of states w/ interparty competition & close elections may be more likely to vote than those who live in states w/ one-party identification

14. Partisanship in Elections  Maintaining elections: traditional majority power maintains power based on the party loyalty of voters  Deviating elections: minority party is able to win w/ support of majority- party members, independents, new voters; however, long-term party preferences of voters do not change  Critical elections: indicate sharp changes in existing party loyalty due to changing social/economic conditions  Realigning elections: minority party wins by building a new coalition that continues over successive elections  Dealigning elections: party loyalty becomes less important to voters, as may be seen w/ increase in independents & split-ticket voting