Understanding Political Participation Trends in America

1. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

2. Gladiatorial Activities • Holding public and party office • Being a candidate for office • Soliciting political funds • Attending a caucus or strategy meeting • Becoming an active political party member • Contributing time in a political campaign

3. Transitional Activities • Attending a political meeting or rally • Making a monetary contribution to a party or candidate • Contacting a public official or a political leader

4. Spectator Activities • Political button, bumper sticker • Attempting to talk another into voting a certain way • Initiating a political discussion • Voting • Exposing oneself to political stimuli (reading/watching media) • Apathetics

5. Why don’t Americans vote? • 15th Amendment interpreted to mean that someone could not be denied the right to vote based on race • Literacy Test • White Primaries (ended 1944) • Grandfather clause: could vote if ancestors before 1867 could vote (unconstitutional 1915) • Poll tax • Harassment of minorities

6. Why don’t Americans vote? • Women could not vote until 19th Amendment (1920) • Initially voted like men and not as frequently • 18 year old could not vote until 26th Amendment (1971) • Low (42%) turnout in 1972 elections • Most voted for Nixon • College graduates voted for McGovern • Today, 20-30% of 18-24 year olds vote

7. Why don’t Americans vote? • In late 1800s: • Long residency requirements • Register many months before election

8. Why don’t Americans vote? • People do not register • Do not like candidate • Not interested in politics • Politics is distasteful • Voting is not compulsory • No difference between candidates • Vote does not matter • People are happy with status quo • Parties have become “distant, national bureaucracies” • Other ways to participate…

9. Methods to make voting easier and fairer • End laws against minorities • 19th and 26th amendments • Australian Ballot: secret ballot • Voting Rights Act (1965): ended literacy tests and appointed federal examiners • 30 day residency maximum • Motor-Voter Law (1993): • Has not changed party balance • Has increased independent registration • Voting on Sunday (done in Europe not here)

10. Trends • Nonvoters more likely to be poor, black or Hispanic • Blacks vote and participate in other ways more than Hispanics • Percentage of voters has declined but participating in other political activities has increased • More elections more often than in Europe so vote seems more important in Europe • White collar vote is overrepresented • Blacks vote less than whites, but blacks vote more than whites of same socioeconomic status (income and schooling)

11. Trends • College graduates are more likely to vote than those with less education, but proportion of college graduates not voting has increased to 18% in 1980) • People cynical about leaders are just as likely to vote as those not cynical • Turnout is declining for all economic classes • More voters see more important differences between the parties today than in the1960s • Voters and nonvoters differ very little in policy preferences or party affiliation • Levels of turnout do not significantly impact election results