Mass Voting & Participation

7/28/2019 Mass Voting & Participation

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IndividualParticipation


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What is political participation?

Verba, Scholzman, and Brady

Voice and Equality

Activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government

action-either directly by affecting the making or implementationof public policy or indirectly by influencing the selection of people

who make those policies


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The focus on voting Terms describing the right to vote.

Suffrage

Franchise

15th Amendment Granted voting rights for African American men

19th Amendment

Granted voting rights for women in 1920 France 1945 Switzerland 1990

23rd Amendment Gave Washington D.C. residents the right to vote for presidential electors.

24th Amendment Outlawed Poll Taxes

26th Amendment Set voting age at 18


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Official Turnout

Defined by the Census Bureau as the number of people votingfor president divided by the size of the voting-age population.


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Turnout in the United States

Has Declined Since 1960


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Calculus of Voting

Downs (1957)

R =pB C

R = probability that the voter will turn out

If R is greater than 0 the person will vote, if it is less than zero the personwill not vote.

p = probability of vote mattering

B = utility benefit of voting--differential benefit of one candidate

winning over the other C= costs of voting

{BB}


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Voting is Illogical

R = pB C

Probability of your voting being the deciding vote is 0

Expected benefit of voting becomes 0

R = - C

Because expected benefit is 0 all that is left is the cost.


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Costs of Voting


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1965 Voting Rights Act

Many scholars in the 1940s and 1950s argued that the

reason that Blacks in the South did not vote was becausethey were apathetic.

The reason that they did not vote was because of voting laws thatdiscriminated against them

Poll Taxes, Literacy Tests, White Primaries

Intimidation Grandfather Clause

Specially constructed districts which limited minority politicalempowerment

Vote Dilution Texas redistricting battle

The Voting Rights Act worked to eliminate these barriers The impact of the Act has grown to include not only racial

minorities, but language minorities as well.


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The Civil Rights Revolution Opened Southern

Politics to African-Americans


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Vote Dilution


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Mitigating Costs of Voting

Motor Voter law

Register when renewing license/registration

Help America Vote Act

Replaced outdated voting technology

Early voting/voting by mail

Expands number of days one can vote


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In deciding whether toparticipate in politics,individuals may weighthe likely costs andbenefits of voting andother activities. Somesocial scientists haveargued that in mostcases the coststime,effort, and the risk ofharm in the course ofparticipatingoutweighthe chances that anordinary individuals voteor other action will havea decisive effect onpolitical outcomes.

CONCEPT MAP

Individuals often deriveother, less obviousbenefits from voting andparticipating in politicssuch as a sense offulfilling their civic duty.

They may see thedecision to participateless in individual,instrumental terms, andmore in terms of thecollective benefits.Interest groups can alsosolve the collective-action problems inherentin political participationby providing benefits totheir members.


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Reasons for political participation

Verba, Scholzman, and Brady

Capacity

Networks of Recruitment

Motivation


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Capacity

Various forms of participation impose their own requirements

Time to volunteer in a campaign

Money to cover a check to a political cause

Verbal skills to compose a convincing letter.


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Churches and Civic Skills

Because churches are voluntary organizationsthat require the assistance and training of itsmembers to carry out its duties, churches buildskills that can be used in the political arena.

Speaking in public

Administration

Churches and their structure, help lower some ofthe costs associated with political activity.

Churches can lower information and participationcosts.


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Networks of Recruitment

Mobilization

The efforts of parties, groups, and activist to encourage theirsupporters to participate in politics.

People are more likely to participate when asked.

Personal contact makes people more accountable


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http://www.citizenchange.com/atf/cf/%7B4B085364-387A-482E-A8B3-C2DC837536C2%7D/3104865_max.jpg


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Motivation

Individual motivations for voting

The tangible and intangible benefits and cost of exercising onesright to vote

Psychic benefit of voting Intangible rewards of voting, such as satisfaction with doing ones

duty and feelings of solidarity with the community.

Puffys vote or Ill shoot you campaign
http://www.citizenchange.com/atf/cf/%7B4B085364-387A-482E-A8B3-C2DC837536C2%7D/3104865_max.jpg


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Updated Calculus of Voting

Riker and Ordeshook (1968)

R =pB C + D

D = citizen duty, goodwill feeling, psychological and civic benefitof voting


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Other sources of motivation

Religion can serve as a source for political motivation.

Individuals will make enormous sacrifices if they believethemselves to be driven by a divine force.


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The Political Church and Political

Participation Political churches

Allison Calhoun-Brown 1996

churches that communicate political activity as a norm

Katherine Tate

churches that provide a setting to encourage political knowledge andskills


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Examples of a Political churchQuestion Wording Yes %

In the last year have you heard any discussion of politics at your church or place of worship? 62.3

Have you talked to people about political matters at your church or place of worship? 44

Has a member of the clergy or someone in an official position talked about the need for people to become

more involved in politics?

64.3

Has a local or national leader spoken at a regular religious service? 49.4

Has a member of the clergy, or someone in an official position, ever suggested that you vote for or against

certain candidates in an election?

29

What about suggesting that you take some other action on a political issuesign a petition, write a letter,

go to a meeting, attend a protest, march, or demonstration, or get in touch with a public official?

Did this happen in the last two years?

54


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The effects of political churches

Political churches have been shown to boost allforms of political participation.

evident across all groups, religious as well as racial.

While regular churches provide the skills that canbe used in the political sphere, political

churches provide these skills and place the

individual in the political sphere.

Churches are important for boosting political activism,but political churches are more important.

Documents

Mass Voting & Participation