SUFFRAGE VOTING TURNOUT AND THE AMERICAN PARTY SYSTEMS

SUFFRAGE, VOTING TURNOUT, AND THE AMERICAN PARTY SYSTEMS Topics #38 -41

Suffrage and Voting Turnout • Suffrage: the legal right to vote, which may be contingent on • • • age citizenship sex race religion property ownership tax paying literacy prisoners/felony convictions – Suffrage laws determine the size of the eligible electorate. • Voting turnout: the proportion of the (eligible) electorate that actually votes in a given election.

Suffrage and Voting Turnout (cont. ) • Under the early Constitution, suffrage (for federal as well as state elections) – was determined entirely by state laws; – which varied greatly from state to state. – Most states restricted suffrage to adult white males who owned a certain amount property on which they paid taxes. • Moreover, voting turnout among eligible voters apparently was quite low. • During the period of the “Jacksonian revolution” (18251840): – the right to vote was extended to almost all adult white males; and – party organizations were created and waged energetic election campaigns, – which greatly increased voting turnout.

Suffrage: Race • 15 th Amendment (1870): no abridgement of the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. ” • “Jim Crow” system in the South (1890 -1965): – Most African-Americans were effectively disenfranchised. • The “Great Migration” [1910 -1950] of African-Americans from the South to other parts of the U. S. , where they had the right vote. • 24 th Amendment (1964): no abridgement “by reason of failure to pay any poll or other tax. ” • Voting Rights Act (1965)

Suffrage and Voting Turnout • Australian ballot and voter registration systems adopted by states (1880 -1900): – guaranteed secret ballot; – reduced voter fraud; but (arguably) – suppressed voting turnout. • 19 th Amendment (1920): no abridgement “on account of sex. ” • 26 th Amendment (1971): no abridgement “on account of age [18 or older]. ” • “Motor Voter” Law (1993): see K&J, p. 432 • The 19 th and 26 th amendments increased the size of the potential electorate but (initially) reduced voting turnout.

“actual vote” recorded Presidential vote VOTING TURNOUT = “potential vote” voting age [male] population

Voting Turnout: Post-WWII • Voting Age Population vs. Voting Eligible Population vs. Registered Voters

Voting Turnout in Presidential vs. Midterm Congressional Elections

Voting Turnout in South vs. Non-South

Political Parties • Negative popular vs. positive political science evaluations of political parties. • Elite vs. mass view of political parties: – lessons of Presidential selection – nominating function • Party politics gives ordinary voters the final choice between candidates. • Party competition: the democratic method is that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individual acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote. (Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, 1942) – The market model of democracy (Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy, 1957) – The jury model of democracy – Party competition as a check on “special interests” and unrepresentative activists

Two-Party vs. Multiparty Systems • Different types of party systems result from different types of political institutions (“Duverger’s Law”): • Majoritarian electoral system: – Single-winner elections (SMDs and separate executives + plurality voting) => two-party systems. • Typical in English-speaking countries. • Two-party system is self-sustaining – “wasted” vote argument – serious candidates seek major-party nomination – pressures against major party splits (like 1912) • U. S. third parties: – Enduring third parties in 19 th century – Factional / “flash” third parties in Presidential elections in 20 th century • Proportional electoral system: – Multiple-winner elections (MMDs + proportional representation, and no separate executives) => multiparty systems • Typical in most other (non-English-speaking) countries

Two-Party vs. Multiparty Systems (cont. ) • Different party behavior as a consequence: – Two-party systems: • • “catch-all” parties; relative party convergence (typically); relatively closely balanced elections; and regular alternation in power. – Multiparty systems: • more differentiated parties; • parties of greatly unequal size (though rarely any party with majority support); • party divergence; • indecisive elections; and • sometimes hardly changing centrist governing coalitions.

Weaknesses of American Political Parties • Exemplified by Congressional roll-call voting – lack of party-line votes • Decentralized constitutional structure – separation of powers – federalism • The direct primary (introduced around 1900): – Deprives party organizations of their fundamental nominating function. – Historically unique but beginning to be copied in other countries in limited ways (within party rules).

The American “Party Systems” • Historical party systems separated by realigning elections or periods: – Typically business vs. non-business (agrarian/labor/consumer) interests Framers' Non-Partisan System (1789 -1792) First Party System (1796 -1816) Democratic-Republican vs. Federalists (agrarian/labor) (commercial/financial) (mostly South & “West”) (Northeast & especially N. E. ) Congressional Caucus nominating system Era of Good Feelings and One-Party Factionalism (1820 -1824) collapse of Federalist Party collapse of Congressional Caucus

American Party Systems (cont. ) Second Party System (1828 -1852) Democrats vs. Whigs (Nat. Reps. + Anti. Masonic) (agrarian and lower-class) (commercial and upper-class) largely non-sectional rise of mass parties and campaigns origins of party organization based on patronage greatly increased franchise and turnout creation national nominating convention extensive third party activity (anti-slavery) Civil War Disruption (1856 -64) Democrats vs. Republicans (N. Whigs + Free Soil) (pro-South) (North)

American Party Systems (cont. ) Third Party System (1868 -1892) Democrats vs. Republicans (agrarian + labor + immigrants) (commercial/industrial) (South plus some North) (most of North) very close and high-turnout elections from 1874 onward frequent divided government after 1876, consolidation of “Solid South” rise of political machines based on patronage highpoint of party-dominant nominating politics introduction of Australian ballot agrarian protest third party movements Populist Party

American Party Systems (cont. ) Fourth Party System (1896 -1928) Democrats (+ Populists) vs. Republicans agrarian plus immigrants) (commercial/industrial) (South plus some West and some cities) (Northeast & Midwest) maximal sectionalism black disenfranchisement in the Jim Crow South rise of Progressive political reforms voter registration, primaries, initiative and referendum, etc. decline of voting turnout rise of “mixed system” of nomination (with Pres. primaries) political machines begin to decline

American Party Systems (cont. ) Fifth (New Deal) Party System (1932 -1968) Democrats vs. Republicans (labor/ethnic/urban plus South) (business & prof. [outside of South]) class based politics (outside of South) New Deal vs. anti-New Deal increased turnout civil rights movement and cracks in the old “Solid [Democratic] South” conflict between “new reformers” and “old bosses” origins of mass media campaigns, etc.

American Party Systems (cont. ) Sixth (Dealigned) Party System (1972 -2000? ) Democrats vs. Republicans (“liberals”) (“conservatives”) (pro-New Deal remnant) (anti-New Deal remnant) (great majority of non-whites) (majority of whites) largely non-sectional but low turnout rise of social/cultural issues rise of candidate-oriented Pres. nominating politics migration of white Southerners from Dem ==> Rep rise of candidate-centered politics and media campaigns era of divided government (Rep. Presidents vs. Dem. House)

American Party Systems (cont. ) Seventh Party System (2000? - ? ? ? ) Democrats vs. Republicans (“blue states”) (“red states”) coastal America middle America secular America religious America (great majority of non-whites) (majority of whites) increased turnout solidification of a Republican South (Cong. + Pres. ) solidification of a Democratic Northeast strengthened party identification in electorate greatly strengthened party unity in Congress close Presidential and Congressional elections resumption of unified government?

Next level POLI Courses in American Government and Politics • • POLI 230 Introduction to Constitutional Law POLI 240 State and Local Politics POLI 320 American Political Thought POLI 323 The Presidency POLI 324 The Congress POLI 325 Political Parties and Elections POLI 327 Interest Groups and Lobbyists POLI 334 Judicial Process