Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Chapter 7 Voting and Participation Lecture 7.

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Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 200 Chapter 7 Voting and Participation Lecture 7

Transcript of Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Chapter 7 Voting and Participation Lecture 7.

Page 1: Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Chapter 7 Voting and Participation Lecture 7.

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Chapter 7

Voting and Participation

Lecture 7

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Actual voter turnout depends on:

VoterTraits

RegistrationLaws

CampaignContacts

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Education is the mostimportant variable

in whether people vote.

Education and Voting

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Socio-economic Status

FamilyIncome +

=

Education

Occupational Status

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VoterTraits

• Socioeconomic Status

• Race and Ethnicity

• Psychological Characteristics

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RegistrationLaws

• Registration and voting laws also affect turnout by changing the costs of voting from state to state.

• The more difficult and time-consuming it is to vote, the less likely people are to do so.

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Voter Turnout in the 1990s

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61.1

29.9RegisteredWhitesNon-RegisteredWhites

Percentage of SouthernWhites registered

to vote in 1960

Voting Act of 1965

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29.1

60.9

RegisteredBlacksNon-RegisteredBlacks

Voting Act of 1965

Percentage of SouthernAfrican-Americans registered

to vote in 1960

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• Tests of literacy

• Educational attainment

• Knowledge

• Good moral character

The Voting Act of 1965

Eliminated the following “requirements” for voting. These factors were “interpreted” by Southern registrars to deny Blacks the vote.

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Activism can be defined as political activities that go beyond

voting, such as attempting to persuade others, attending rallies, donating money, or

working for a candidate or cause.

7-2 Political Activists

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Three Factors Influencing

Voting Behavior

Party Identification

CandidateCharacteristics

Issues

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7-3a Party Identification

The psychological feeling of belonging to a particular political party, which

influences voting behavior

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7-3b Candidate

Characteristics

The candidate's character, personality, experiences, past record,

and physical appearance

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Retrospective

Issue Voting

Prospective

Issue Voting

Easy Issues

Hard Issues

7-3c Issues

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RetrospectiveIssueVoting

Deciding how to vote on the basis of

past policy outcomes

ProspectiveIssueVoting

Deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate's likely

future policies and campaign promises

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Easy issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions

without much information

Easy Issues

Deciding how to vote on the basis of a

candidate's likely future policies

Hard Issues

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Why Many Americans Do Not Vote• Lack of education and information

• Lack of personal efficacy

• Complex registration rules

• Frequent movers must re-register

• Felon disenfranchisement laws in many states

• No personal contact by party officials or interest groups (churches, labor unions)

• Skepticism about politics, government officials

• See no differences between parties or candidates

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Why Many Young Americans Do Not Vote

• Weak party identification

• Rely on TV: little knowledge of candidates or issues

• Frequent movers; must re-register

• Transients, renters; little stake in state/local issues

• Many young minority males have prison records

• Parties and candidates appeal to older voters

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Hudson: Trivialized Elections

Hudson argues that US elections fail to meet three essential criteria for true democracy:

1. Equal representation

2. Opportunity for policy deliberation

3. Election outcomes should control what government does

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Unequal Representation

• Equal voting rights are not sufficient in a representative democracy

• Political parties are required to provide choices and channel votes into policy influence

• US parties have been weakened by “reforms” – primaries, end of patronage, state regulations

• Thus candidates self-select and parties have little influence over their policy choices

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Problems with Candidate-Centered Campaigns

• Emphasis on fundraising, personal wealth, PACs

• “Hidden election” by wealthy donors actually selects the candidate long before the primaries

• No commitment to a party platform or policy record

• Emphasis on marketing techniques, image, NOT policy or voters’ concerns

• Once elected, candidates have weak ties to party

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Problems with Media Coverage

• Focus on the “horse race” not issues

• Declining coverage of policy substance; shorter sound bites

• Coverage of jokes, mishaps, sensation, scandals

• Negative campaigning/attack ads work best to gain voter and media attention

• Campaigns as spectacles or entertainment, NOT opportunity for deliberation

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Hudson: Elections Do Not Control Policy

• No one can draw policy conclusions from trivialized elections

• Nonelected institutions make policy:

The Federal Reserve Board

The Supreme Court

Interest-group influence over the bureaucracy

• Without party support, candidates cannot carry out their promises

Clinton and health care

Bush and Social Security privatization