Voting: A form of political participation (activities that influence policy/leaders)
The chapter's main points:
Voter turnout is U.S. elections is low in comparison to other democracies
Only a small proportion of Americans are political activists
Most Americans distinguish sharply between their personal lives and national life
Voter Participation
Section Introduction
At the nation's founding, suffrage - the right to vote - was restricted to property-owning males.
Tom Paine ridiculed the policy in Common Sense
Not till 1840 did all states extend suffrage to propertyless white males
Women did not secure the vote till 1920
Today virtually any American - rich or poor, man woman, black or white - who meets basic eligibility requirements - can vote
Factors in Voter Turnout: The United States in Comparative Perspective
Voter turnout
Nonvoting is far more prevalent in the United States than in nearly all other democracies
Registration Requirements
Registration requirements to prevent fraud originally, but now retards turnout
Turnout in U.S. elections declined steadily after registration was instituted
Although other democracies also require registration, they place this responsibility on government
Some state a more lenient in registration laws
In 1993, Congress passed "motor voter" law in an effort to increase registration levels nationwide
Ballots Cast but Not Counted
In 2000 election, more that two million votes cast were not counted
Approximately, 2% of all ballots cast in U.S. elections are spoiled for one reason or another
Frequency of Elections
The United States holds more elections that any other nation
Staggered scheduling reflects, in some cases, a deliberate effort by state and local officials to insulate their election races from possible effects of other campaings
Party Differences
U.S. voters see few distinctions, unlike Europeans
Why Some Americans Vote and Others Do Not
Feelings of Civic Duty, Apathy, and Alienation
Regular voters are characterized by a strong sense of civic duty
Apathetic voters have little interest in politics or voting
Alienation a sense of personal powerlessness that includes that government does not care about the opinions of people like oneself
Voter turnout is associated with levels of trust in government
Age
MTV Get out the vote campaign
Young voters have declined disproportionately in turnout in recent years
Education
College-educated 40 percent more likely to vote
Best single predictor of voter turnout
Economic Class
In the U.S., Turnout is strongly related to economic status, as measured by income level
In European democracies, economic status does not affect turnout to such a high degree
The Impact of the Vote
Elections do not ordinarily produce a popular mandate for the policies advocated by the winning candidate
Voters are not usually that well informed about candidates' policy positions
Several influences combine to limit the voters' awareness of issues
The candidates not always making policy stances clear
The media emphasizing campaign strategy over "issues"
Voter apathy
Prospective Voting - based on studying campaign issues
Retrospective Voting - based on evaluation of past government performance
Conventional Forms of Participation Other Than Voting
Campaign Activities
One in twenty Americans worked for a party or candidate in past year
Campaign participation higher in U.S. than in Europe more opportunity
Federalism allows individuals multiple opportunities to participate
Community Activities
Stronger tradition in America than in Europe
Lobbying Group Activities
Increasingly, Americans are also involved in public affairs through membership in lobbying groups
Following Politics in the Media
No act of political participation takes up more of people's time than does news consumption
More that 95 percent of U.S. homes have TV; 50 percent receive daily newspaper
Yet only about one-third of Americans consistently follow politics
Most Americans get most of their news through television
U.S. news audience has been shrinking in size (drop in newspaper circulation)
Many young people are ignoring the news, although Internet has great potential as source of political information and means of participation
Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics
Before mass elections became prevalent, the public often resorted to revolts and disorders as a way of expressing dissatisfaction with government
Social movements or political movements are an alternative form of influence
Recent --American history would be very different if the civil rights, women's rights, Vietnam protest and other major social movements had not pressed their claims on government
Citizens who participate in social movements tend to be younger than non-participants, which is the reversal of the situation with voting
Age is best predictor of protest activity
Social movements tend to attract idealists
Participation and the Potential for Influence
Sustained political activism does not engage a large proportion of the public
The emphasis the American culture places on individualism tends to discourage a sense of urgency about political participation
America's individualistic culture also contributes to a class bias by its effect on the participation level of lower-income groups
The relatively low participation rate of the poor tends to reduce the influence of their opinions on public policy
