Chapter 7

WSU Essay #4Political Participation

• What are several factors political scientists believe are responsible for low voter turnout on election day in America?

• What tangible factors make voting in America challenging at best? Discuss four of those factors that are real barriers to voting.

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Reasons people don’t vote• Low politically efficacy.• Political parties are not the mobilizing force they used to be• Individuals do not perceive personal benefits from voting• Elections are now less competitive; incumbents get re-elected, so why vote? • Recent younger generations have not acquired the habit of voting in the way that earlier

generations did; thus, as older voting people die off, they are being replaced by younger nonvoters, which lowers turnout rate

• Lack of social connectedness—individuals not so integrated into society through extended families, neighborhoods, religious organizations and the like as they used to be

• Individuals of lower socio-economic standing vote in low proportions to their numbers• No interest in the election.• History of the franchise in the US. Recognition that voting and registration are easier than ever

today—motor-voter registration; registering with people who are empowered to register voters; individuals can request an advance mail-in ballot, so they can avoid the voting lines on election day.

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Exceeds expectations Student addresses 7-9 of these points

Meet expectations student addresses 4-6 of these points

Does NOT meet expectation student addresses fewer than 4 of these points

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Chapter 7 - Scenario 1:Read the Introduction on page 207-208. Based on what you already know or have read, what is your opinion of the TEA Party?

Democracy and Political Participation

Democratic ideal is “government run by the people”

Difficulty lies with definitions of how much and what kind of participation needed Direct democracy versus democracy carried

out by representatives Elections necessary for democracy, but

do not ensure democracy Elections in former Soviet Union, but not a democracy

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Quick Discussion Brainstorm with someone next to you:

What are some common ways people participate in their government?

What are some more uncommon behaviors in which people participate in their government?

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Political Participation

All citizen activities that attempt to influence government’s structure, selection of officials, or policies Conventional participation

Common/routine behavior: campaigning, voting, writing letters

Unconventional participation Uncommon behavior, challenges/defies

establishment: sit down strikes, preventing entrance outside abortion clinic

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Unconventional Participation

Can range from protest marches to terrorist activities 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s

Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh Terrorist attacks on New York City and

Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001 Nidal Hasan – 2009 shot 13 at Ft. Hood

Terrorists do not seek to participate in govt but to destroy it.

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Unconventional Participation

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March 7, 2010:Thousands marched across a bridge outside Selma, Alabama to commemorate the “Bloody Sunday” 45 years earlier in 1965 when people were beaten during a voting rights protest.

Unconventional participation because marching 50 miles is not common.

Support for Unconventional Participation

Boston Tea Party in 1773 first of many violent protests

Most Americans not willing to participate in unconventional political activities

Sometimes difficult to define which activities fall under heading of “unconventional political participation”

Demonstrations and boycotts difficult to decide whether conventional or unconventional.

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Figure 7.1

What Americans Think Is Conventional Behavior

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A survey presented Americans with three forms of political participation outside the electoral process and asked them if they have done, might do, or would never do any of them. People overwhelmingly approved of signing petitions. Attending demonstrations (a Constitutional right), would never be done by 30%. Boycotts was less objectionable and more widely practiced. According to this survey, demonstrations and boycotts are only marginally conventional forms of political participation.

12Anti-war protest - 1968 - in Chicago. Most viewers condemned the demonstrators, not the police.

The Effectiveness of Unconventional Participation

Unconventional participation not always successful, even when violent. But does it work? Yes, sometimes.

LBJ didn’t seek reelection 1968 Military draft ended 1973 Helped 26th Amendment 1971 Obamacare public disapproval rose 29% to 53% between April –

Dec. 2009 Montgomery busy boycott (Rosa Parks) sparked civil rights

movement Civil rights laws

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The Effectiveness of Unconventional Participation Direct action (Assembling crowds to confront

business/government) appeals most to persons who distrust the political system and have a strong sense of political efficacy

Participation also depends on an individual’s group consciousness: identification with their group and its objectives

Americans about as likely to participate as citizens of other nations

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Do you think Americans are more or less apathetic when it comes to participating in politics than other countries?

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Compared with What? Popular Participation in Politics

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Compared with 8 other nations, Americans are not noticeably apathetic when it comes to politics. Americans much less likely to join demonstrations.

The Effectiveness of Unconventional

Participation

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The 1943 Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom of Speech” during the WWII era was idealized. But it still reflected civility in exercising freedom of speech that seems absent today. Consider the August 2009 photo of Representative John Dingell’s (D) town hall meeting in Michigan to discuss health care.

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Antiwar Protest, 2009 On December 1, 2009, President Obama announced that he was sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. On December 2, scattered protests against his action broke out across the nation. This march occurred in Minneapolis. Like the 1968 Vietnam antiwar protests, the 2009 protests were fueled by young people. Perhaps because the males were not threatened by the military draft, the 2009 protests were milder.

Conventional Participation

Practical test for democracy: can citizens influence policies by acting through its institutions?

Meeting with officials, supporting candidates, voting

If people must operate outside institutions, it is not democratic.

The less that participants anticipate a threat, the more likely the protest will be conventional.

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Two major categories for conventional participation: Supportive behavior Influencing behavior

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Supportive Behavior Actions that express allegiance

to country and government Pledge, flying flag, voting,

organizing holiday parade, working voting polls

Sometimes actions an individual sees as supportive actually suppress democracy

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Influencing Behavior Some types of behavior seek benefits; others

have broad policy objectives Particular benefits - those that benefit self,

immediate family, or friends Very common at local level, especially “contacting

behavior;” may require little initiative Removing a dead tree, dealing with a dangerous dog, getting a park

More common with those of higher socioeconomic status

NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard Campaign contributions also on this list

Particular benefits = democratic since it encourages participation.

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Gitmo Prisoners: NIMBY!

Influencing Behavior Broad Policy Objectives – activities

that influence selection of government officials and policies Also require different levels of initiative

Low initiative: voting, wearing candidate’s shirt, visiting candidate’s website

Higher initiative: running for office, holding meetings, working on campaigns, attending hearings, or using the court system

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The Twitter Revolution

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After the June 2009 election in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared reelected with 62 percent of the votes—avoiding a runoff by winning more than 50 percent. Outside observers supported claims of massive voting fraud. Popular protests spread across the country, especially in Tehran, and were brutally put down. People captured the beatings on their cell phones, transmitted the images to Western media, and tweeted about the brutality. For the week of June 15–19, the tracking site TweetMeme reported that 98 percent of the links on Twitter were about Iran. Tweeting became a new form of political activity.

Influencing Behavior Citizens who want to participate can

do so via the Internet Comment on proposed rules and

regulations at the Federal Register site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/

Track economic stimulus funds at: http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

View congressional voting records: http://www.govtrack.us/ or http://www.thomas.gov/

Many other political sites available for wide range of interests

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Conventional Participationin America

Usually only those with a stake in the outcome take high initiative to participate in Congressional or administrative hearings

Most common form of political behavior is voting Rate of voting is voter turnout U.S. voter turnout low compared to

other industrialized democracies

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Participating Through Voting

Electoral process heart of democratic government

Rules for suffrage, or franchise, and rules for counting ballots and electoral systems define process Who can vote How much each vote counts How many votes needed to win

No nation has universal suffrage27

Expansion of Suffrage U.S. first to hold mass elections,

but suffrage limited by states Initially only landowners or

taxpayers By 1850s, all working-class males Suffrage for blacks and women took

longer

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The Enfranchisement of Blacks

Even with passage of Fifteenth Amendment after Civil War, some states resisted Poll taxes, literacy tests, “white primary,”

and violence all deterrents Supreme Court rulings supporting black

suffrage began with Smith v. Allwright (1944) (White primaries outlawed) Later Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966)

ended poll taxes Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended voting tests & registered voters in southern states

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Figure 7.2

Voter Registration in the South, 1960, 1980, and 2000

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As a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other national actions, black voter registration in the eleven states of the old Confederacy nearly doubled between 1960 and 1980. In 2000, there was very little difference between the voting registration rates of white and black voters in the Deep South.

The Enfranchisement of Women

Women could not vote anywhere in world until 1869 First to grant women vote in

U.S.: Wyoming Territory in 1869

Equal Rights Party formed in 1884 – first female presidential candidate

Women gained national right to vote in 1920 with Nineteenth Amendment

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The Fight for Women’s Suffrage…and Against It

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Militant suffragettes demonstrated outside the White House prior to ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Congress passed the proposed amendment in 1919, and it was ratified by the required number of states in time for the 1920 presidential election. Suffragettes’ demonstrations were occasionally disrupted by men—and other women—who opposed extending the right to vote to women.

Evaluating the Expansion of Suffrage in America

Last major expansion was 26th Amendment in 1971 Lowered voting age to 18

Though process towards generally universal suffrage slow, U.S. still ahead of many other countries, including other democracies

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Interesting Suffrage Facts From Around the World

Women equal voting with men in: Norway 1921, Japan 1946, Switzerland 1971.

Women can’t vote in national elections in Saudi Arabia

Blacks couldn’t vote freely in South Africa until 1994.

34 countries set voting age at 21. Fewer than a dozen allow under 18 to vote

Overall, U.S. historically is about as good as other countries voting rights

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Voting on Policies Political power comes with suffrage Progressivism flourished from 1900 to 1925;

proposed several electoral changes: Direct primary: preliminary election where voters choose party’s candidates for

general election

Recall: removing an elected official from office. 20 states have this but rarely used

Referendum: election on a policy issue.

Initiative: voters can propose an issue to be decided by legislature or referendum. Needs signatures of registered voters (usually 5-10%) and then petition. 24 states have this.

Not clear if these opportunities improve policies made by elected representatives

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2003

See page 227

Figure 7.3

Westward Ho!

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This map shows quite clearly the western basis of the initiative, referendum, and recall mechanisms intended to place government power directly in the hands of the people. Advocates of ‘‘direct legislation’’ sought to bypass entrenched powers in state legislatures. Established groups and parties in the East dismissed them as radicals and cranks, but they gained the support of farmers and miners in the Midwest and West. The Progressive forces usually aligned with Democrats in western state legislatures to enact their proposals, often against Republican opposition.

Voting for Candidates Serves democratic government two ways:

Voters can choose candidate they think will best represent their interests

Voting allows citizens to re-elect candidates or vote them out of office

U.S. government has few elected officials compared to state and local governments

U.S. has more frequent and varied elections than any other country in the world – but lower voter turnout than many

37See page 231

The Growth of Electoral Democracy

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Explaining Political Participation

Political participation can be: Conventional or unconventional Require little or require much

initiative Serve to support government or

influence its decisions People who participate in one

way may not participate in others39

Patterns of Political Participation Over Time

Generally, Americans’ participation stable over time

Socioeconomic status a good indicator of most types of participation Income Education (most important) Occupation Age, race, and gender also important

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More aware of effect of politics on lives.

More educated = more unconventional participation

Younger = more unconventional like demonstrations/boycotts but less likely to participate in conventional

Voting rates increase as people grow older until the age of 65

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Blacks vote in comparable % to whites when SES taken into account

Married = more likely to vote than single

Education strongest indicator of participation

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Figure 7.4

Effects of Education on Political Participation

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Education has a powerful effect on political participation in the United States. These data from a 2008 sample show that level of education is directly related to five different forms of conventional political participation. (Respondents tend to overstate whether they voted.)

Low Voter Turnout in America

Difficult to explain decline in voter turnout in America 26th Amendment (younger voters tend not to

vote) Belief that government no longer

responsive to citizens; politicians too packaged

Change in attitude about political parties 62% voter turnout in 2008 election,

matching highs in the 1960s.

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Reasons people don’t vote Low politically efficacy. Political parties are not the mobilizing force they used to be Individuals do not perceive personal benefits from voting Elections are now less competitive; incumbents get re-elected, so why vote? Recent younger generations have not acquired the habit of voting in the way that earlier

generations did; thus, as older voting people die off, they are being replaced by younger nonvoters, which lowers turnout rate

Lack of social connectedness—individuals not so integrated into society through extended families, neighborhoods, religious organizations and the like as they used to be

Individuals of lower socio-economic standing vote in low proportions to their numbers No interest in the election. History of the franchise in the US. Recognition that voting and registration are easier

than ever today—motor-voter registration; registering with people who are empowered to register voters; individuals can request an advance mail-in ballot, so they can avoid the voting lines on election day.

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Figure 7.5

The Decline of Voter Turnout: An Unsolved Puzzle

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Education strongly predicts the likelihood of voting in the United States. The percentage of adult citizens with a high school education or more has grown steadily since the end of World War II, but the overall rate of voter turnout trended downward from 1960 to 1996 and is still below the levels two decades after the war. Why turnout decreased as education increased is an unsolved puzzle in American voting behavior.

U.S. Turnout Versus Turnout in Other Countries

Differences in voting laws and administrative machinery affect voter turnout in the U.S. Tuesday Election Day not a public holiday Burdensome registration procedures Political parties not tied to certain groups Most elections not particularly competitive Large number of elections and candidates

means difficult for voters to educate selves

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Participation and Freedom, Equality, and Order

Participation and freedom Citizens free to participate when

and how they want (or not) Citizens free to use personal

resources to pursue any legal means to influence government decisions

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Participation and Freedom, Equality, and Order

Participation and equality requires that each citizen’s ability to influence government be equal to every other citizen Differences in resources should not matter Elections serve ideal of equality best

One person, one vote

Groups can band together to increase influence

Blacks, Hispanics, homosexuals increasing in political power

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Participation and Freedom, Equality, and Order

Relationship between participation and order complicated Some types of participation promote order

(voting, pledge allegiance); others, disorder Women’s right to vote = upsetting social order

Political system more threatened by unconventional participation

26th Amendment effort to bring order to Vietnam War protests

Was the right to vote to 18 year olds simply attempt to curb disorder by channeling youth energy?

Participation and Models of Democracy

Elections implement democracy by allowing citizens to choose among candidates and issues

Elections socialize political activity Elections institutionalize access to

political power Elections bolster the state’s power

and authority

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Participation and Majoritarianism

Majoritarian theory views participation narrowly Favors conventional participation,

especially voting Bias towards equality in elections Some say goes hand in hand with

communitarianism Because majoritarian theory favors

formalized, collective decisions, little place for private influence

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