1. Chapter 8
Political Participation and Voting

2. Forms of Political Participation

3. Forms of Political Participation

4. Forms of Political Participation
Traditional political participation: various activities designed to influence government.
– Voting, protest, campaign contributions, contact elected officials (many more)
Advantages of each?
Online participation: interactive political engagement facilitated by vast opportunities to connect to causes, people, events, and information online.
Advantages?

5. Traditional Political Participation

6. Forms of Political Participation
Online participation linkage to offline activity
Information
Accidental mobilization
Format advantages
– Images, interaction, and unlimited space
Diversity of sources and voices
Lowers entry barriers
Citizen journalism: blogs, video, social media

7. Online Political Participation

8. Political Participation

9. Forms of Political Participation
Examples scale, potential online participation
Obama 2008 online campaign model
3 million small contributions online (unprecedented)
1st ever on FB, Twitter, 䇾Contribute Now䇿 button
Events and activities organized online
SOPA and PIPA protests
Largest websites (Wiki, FB, Google, et al) oppose
Website blackouts or limited services mobilized millions to call Congress in opposition – it worked.
Digital divide (online inequalities) remain, though

10. Online Political Participation

11. Read “Slacktivism” article from your packet and answer questions!
10 minutes!

12. Voting

13. Voting
Suffrage extended to different groups at different points in American history. Initially only wealthy, white, male,
>21 years old
Wealth limitation eliminated early 1800s
15th Amendment enfranchises black men (1870)
19th Amendment enfranchises women (1920)
24th Amendment ends poll taxes (1964)
26th Amendment lowers age to 18 (1971)

14. Voting Right to vote: all American citizens >18 yrs. old
10 states (as of 2012) lifetime ban convicted felons
Turnout relatively low today
Other democracies and points in American history
60 percent national average presidential elections
33 percent national average off-year national races
Significant state and regional differences

15. Voter Registration Rates by Social Group, 2008

16. Voting

17. Voting
Voter turnout in democratic nations 1945–2008

18. Voting
Voter turnout by race and ethnicity 1976–2008

19. Voting
Voter turnout by educational attainment 1976–2008

20. Voting
Voter turnout by employment status 1976–2008

21. Voting
Voter turnout by age cohort 1976–2008

22. Voting Why do people vote? Individual preferences and traits
Partisanship, ideology, religion, sex, income, etc.
Political environment
Campaigns, issues, mobilization, party competition
State policies
Registration deadlines and methods, identification, ballot types (paper, mail only, etc.)

23. Voting Political mobilization Not all people are mobilized equally.
Process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity
Online and/or in-person mobilization activities include ads, calls, s, campaign events, fundraising, and others.
Not all people are mobilized equally.
Turnout disparities reflect mobilization differences.
Other factors, but mobilization an important one

24. Voting Individual traits and preferences Demographic indicators
Education, income, sex, race/ethnicity, age
Education: highest impact because influences so many other factors correlated with voter turnout information, efficacy, and, of course, income
Preferences and attitudes
Party attachment, ideology, issue positions
Makes sense: people with well-formed opinions vote

25. Voting Political environment Context can attract voters to the polls
Candidates, pressing issues
Mobilization strategies and investment
Party competition (or lack thereof)
Consistently competitive or noncompetitive
– Voters, candidates, parties and contributors ALL take party competition into account.

26. Voting
State policies
All states implement voting and election laws differently. Some make it easier than others.
Registration deadlines prior to election day
Length of residency at current address
Identification requirements
Early and absentee voting rules
Variable vote locations
Ballot method: mail only, paper ballot, kiosk, etc.

27. Result of all these rules??
Decreased voter turnout due to the following:
Citizenship requirements
• Age
• Disfranchisement of certain groups (felons, the mentally incompetent)
• Residency
• Registration
• Limited opportunities to vote (midweek, limited hours, single day)
• Need to show identification
• Generally have to vote in person
• Closed primaries
• Process of obtaining absentee ballots
How???
• The requirement makes a person ineligible to vote.
• The requirement puts up obstacles or makes it harder to vote.

28. What barriers (or lack thereof) to voting do you notice??
Vs.

29. American Voters Why is turnout different across groups? Turnout =
state rules + political context + individual traits
Variation in all three variables explains voter turnout trends.

30. American Voters
Latinos: largest minority in United States (16 percent as of 2010)
Established political ties with both parties
Cuban Americans with GOP; Puerto Rican and Mexican American with Democrats
Population geographic concentrations
Parties competitive: FL, NV, NM, CO
Parties noncompetitive states: TX, CA, NY, CT
Low turnout factors: income, education, state laws, party competition, low mobilization

31. American Voters African Americans: (13 percent of U.S. as of 2010)
Strong ties to Democratic Party since 1960s
Voting rights, desegregation, civil rights agenda
Turnout in context
Laws kept black turnout low for over a century.
Voting Rights Act (1965), turnout rates soar.
Today, turnout more than Latinos, less than whites
Low turnout factors: income, education, state laws, low mobilization by both parties

32. American Voters Asian Americans: (5 percent of U.S. as of 2010)
Party ties not strong, lean Democrat
Geographic concentration:
Hawaii, California, Texas, New York, New Jersey
Turnout in context
Lowest turnout rate of groups we can estimate
Factors: in-group diversity and geographic diffusion make group cohesiveness difficult, low mobilization, noncompetitive states

33. Asian Americans

34. Gender and Participation

35. Gender and Participation
Percent Women in Elected Office

36. American Voters Gender and turnout differences
Since 1984, women’s turnout higher than men
Men vote GOP at a higher rate.
Women vote Democrat at a higher rate.
Policy priorities and issue positions often differ.
Parties make direct mobilization appeals to women voters; indirect to men.
– Ads, messaging, agenda issues

37. Age and Participation

38. American Voters Age and turnout differences
Long-standing trend: older voters highest turnout rate; youngest voters, lowest
People become voters over their lifetime.
Nonvoters at 20, probably voting by 65
Partisanship and issue positions stronger with age
Familiarity with registration process differs
Low turnout factors: information, experience, residential mobility, efficacy, income

39. American Voters Religiosity and Turnout Differences
People who attend religious services turn out at higher rates than those who do not.
Makes sense: people participating in one community activity, likely take part in another.
Religious institutions’ mobilization around issues and ideology; not only to benefit of GOP.
Many candidates make direct overtures to voters targeting their religious identity.

42. Public Opinion Poll
Several countries (that are democracies) have compulsory voting policies that require all citizens to vote, and fine those who do not. Should the United States adopt such a policy to increase voter participation in American elections?
Yes No

43. Public Opinion Poll
Which form of (individual) political participation do you think has the most influence on elected officials and candidates?
Voting
Campaign contributions
Contacting them to express concerns ( , calls, visits to their offices, etc.)
Some other activity

44. Public Opinion Poll
Do you think laws, policies, and the way government operates in general would be different if everyone eligible to vote actually did?
Yes No

45. Public Opinion Poll
State rules governing the voting process— deadlines, early/absentee options, ballot method— vary widely. Should all states have the same rules on these aspects to voting and elections?
Yes No

46. Public Opinion Poll
Do you think more people would vote if there were more convenient options, like weekend or online (secured website) voting?
Yes No