Chapter 5 Political Participation

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Chapter 5Political Participation

• American Government
• Policy Politics,
• TANNAHILL

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In This Chapter We Will Cover

• Forms of participation
• Explaining participation
• Patterns of participation
• Trends in voter turnout
• Nonvoters
• Participation rates in comparative perspective
• Participation bias

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Forms of Participation

• Political participation is activity that has the
  intent or effect of influencing government
  action.
• Voting is the most common form of political
  participation.
• (Turnout in the 2004 presidential race was 56
  percent of voting age population.)

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Forms of Participation

• Contacting elected officials is another form of
  political participation.
• Some Americans try to influence the policy
  process by joining interest groups.
• Unconventional political acts like marching and
  demonstrating provide another avenue for
  political participation.

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Explaining Participation

• Personal Resources
• Time, money, and civic skills
• Psychological Engagement
• People take part in the policy process when they
  have a strong sense of political efficacy (belief
  they can influence the policymaking process).

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Explaining Participation

• Voter mobilization is the process of motivating
  citizens to vote.
• Community involvement leads people to see voting
  and other forms of political participation as a
  civic duty.

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Patterns of Participation

• Income
• Affluence and activity go together for every form
  of political participation.
• Age
• The American electorate is relatively old and
  getting older. In 2002, the number of voters age
  65 and older outnumbered younger voters below 30
  by a two-to-one margin.

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Voter Turnout by Age Group, 2000
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Patterns of Participation

• Race/Ethnicity
• Turnout in 2000 varied by group
• Whites at 60
• African Americans at 54
• Latinos at 28
• Asian Americans at 25

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Patterns of Participation

• Gender
• Women are more likely to vote, but men are more
  likely to engage in other forms of participation.

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Voter Turnout, 1964-2004
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Trends in Voter Turnout

• Explaining the Decline in Voter Turnout
• The electorate is younger.
• Party ties are weaker.
• Election campaigns are fought over small issues
  that fail to excite the electorate.

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Trends in Voter Turnout

• Negative campaign advertising causes people to
  stay home.
• External political efficacy has fallen.
• People are less connected to their communities.

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Trends in Voter Turnout

• Interest in politics has decreased.
• Many Americans believe that election outcomes
  have little impact on policy.
• Modern campaign techniques focus on likely
  voters, ignoring everyone else.

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Nonvoters

• People dont vote for a variety of reasons.
• Doers (29 percent of nonvoters) are too busy to
  register and vote.
• Unpluggeds (27 percent) do not believe the policy
  process affects their lives.

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Nonvoters

• Irritables (18 percent of nonvoters) know what
  government is doing and dont like it.
• Dont knows (14 percent) are indifferent to
  government, and focus instead on jobs and family.
• Alienateds (12 percent) are very pessimistic,
  they dislike candidates, parties, and
  institutions of government.

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Increasing Voter Turnout

• The 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA),
  also known as the Motor Voter Act increased the
  number of registered voters but not the number of
  actual voters.

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Participation Rates in Comparative Perspective

• Voting turnout in the U.S. is relatively low
  compared to other industrialized democracies.
  Three possible reasons
• American election procedures are more cumbersome.
• U.S. national parties are weak.
• Separation of powers leads some to think
  elections dont impact policy.

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Participation Bias

• Because participation rates in the U.S. are so
  low, some speculate how increased participation
  might impact the two major parties or public
  policy outcomes.

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Concluding Review Questions

• What is the most common form of political
  participation?
• What are the other ways in which people can
  participate in the policy process?
• How do participation rates vary based on such
  factors as income, age, race/ethnicity, and
  gender?

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Concluding Review Questions

• How is voter turnout measured and why do
  political scientists disagree about the validity
  of the measure?
• What reasons do political scientists give to
  explain the decline in voter participation rates?
• What reforms could be adopted to increase voter
  participation?