Voter Demographics and Political Participation Sign in with

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Learning Objectives (Teacher Buzz Word/Jargon Alert) • will be able to explain socioeconomic, demographic and psychological factors related to political participation. • will be able to explain reform efforts to increase civic participation. • you will be able to describe forms of general civic participation.

What Determines Voter Turnout Actual voter turnout depends on: Voter Traits Registration Laws Campaign Contacts

Voter Traits Who Votes?

The central activity of democracy is voting? Socioeconomic Factors Demographic Factors Psychological Factors

The Effect of Individual Voter Characteristics Determining voter turnout – who actually votes Socioeconomic Factors Education Income Occupation Demographic Factors race ethnicity age gender Vocab word alert! Psychological Factors Strength of Party Identification Political efficacy Group consciousness Interest & trust in Government Political awareness

• Socioeconomic Status Job, income, education • Demographic Characteristics: • Race, Ethnicity, Age, Gender • Psychological Characteristics

Education and Voting Education is the most important variable in whether people vote or not.

Citizens Most likely to Vote: Same People with what?

How US Voters Compare

How have we made registering to vote easier? Registration Laws

Registration Laws • Registration and voting laws also affect turnout from state to state. • The more difficult and time consuming it is to vote, the less likely people are to do so. Makes sense right?

Campaign Contacts The Effect of Campaign Contacts on Voter Turnout: • Who is normally contacted & why? • Who does the contacting?

Forms of contact in 2013?

A shift in defining citizenship and participation? Young people don’t even bother to vote. They don’t care about America or about being a good citizen. True citizenship is giving back to my local community.

WHAT DOES “GENERAL PARTICIPATION LOOK LIKE IN 2013? ”

Does Weak Voter Turnout Really Matter?

What do you need to do for 3. 12? Free-Response Question Americans have very low voter turnout. A. Analyze the above table. How does education affect voting? B. Explain two other demographics that determine voter participation. C. Identify and explain one reform that has been made to encourage voter participation. D. Discuss general participation by Americans in the political system.

Questions?