Political Participation and Voting Forms of Political Participation

Political Participation and Voting

Forms of Political Participation Traditional political participation: various activities designed to influence government. – Voting, protest, campaign contributions, contact elected officials, wearing a campaign button, volunteering at a campaign office Online participation: interactive political engagement facilitated by vast opportunities to connect to causes, people, events, and information online.

Forms of Political Participation Benefits of online participation: 1. Access to information 2. Accidental mobilization 3. Format advantages – Images, interaction, and unlimited space 4. Diversity of sources and voices 5. Lowers entry barriers 6. Citizen journalism: blogs, video, social media

Political Participation

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

Voting • Right to vote: all American citizens >18 yrs. old – 10 states allow for a lifetime voting bans for convicted felons (a clemency hearing decides voter rights individually) • Turnout relatively low today – Lower than other democracies, points in American history – 60% national average presidential elections – 33% national average off-year national races • Significant state and regional differences

Voting Voter turnout in democratic nations 1945– 2008

Voting

Voting

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. )

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, income • Preferences and attitudes – Party attachment, ideology, issue positions • Makes sense: people with well-formed opinions vote

Voting Political environment • Context can attract voters to the polls – Candidates, pressing issues (is it a time of crisis? War? ) – Mobilization strategies and investment – Party competition (or lack thereof) • Consistently competitive or noncompetitive – Voters, candidates, parties and contributors ALL take party competition into account. – Candidates want heated competition, but don’t want it to turn so negative that voters stay home

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 (controversy of voter ID laws) Early and absentee voting rules Variable vote locations Ballot method: mail only, paper ballot, kiosk, etc.

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