Political Participation

1
Political Participation

• Why Do People Vote?
• Who Votes?
• Do We Care?

2
Homework

• Due Thursday, BEGINNING of Class
• 3-1, 6-6
• 3-4 for extra credit (worth 20 points)
• http//elections.gmu.edu/Voter_Turnout_2004.htm

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Pre-1990s Scholarship

• Two camps
• Rational choice theorists
• Demographic predictor researchers

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Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy
(1957)

• People vote if (PB) C gt 0

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Good theory, bad prediction

• Predicts that rational people never vote
• Possible fix
• Focus on different benefits . . . Psychic
  benefits, duty
• Turnout not always sensitive to changes in costs
• National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act)
  of 1993) increased registration but not turnout
• BUT what about effects of same day registration?

6
2004 Total Turnout Rates for Voting Eligible
Population

• Minnesota 77.21
• Wisconsin 76.19
• Maine 73.37

7
Possible explanations

• Law High Turnout
• Law
• Civic Culture
• High Turnout

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Other Camp

• Demographic people are able to predict behavior
  based on characteristics
• Education
• SES
• Race
• Age
• But, they dont really explain why people vote
  (description rather than explanation)

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So . . .

• One camp is developing explanations that dont do
  a good job of describing actual behavior
• The other camp is developing descriptions but not
  bothering to explain the why question

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Civic Voluntarism Model

• Henry Brady, Sidney Verba and Kay Lehman
  Schlozman
• Voice and Equality

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Civic Voluntarism Model

• Interest/Engagement
• Mobilization/Recruitment
• Resources

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Interest/Engagement

• interest in politics
• political efficacy (I can make a difference, I
  can participate effectively)
• sense of civic duty (Its my job as an American
  to participate)
• group consciousness (As my community goes, so go
  I)
• party identification
• commitment to personal issues

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What might affect interest/engagement?
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Mobilization/Recruitment

• Being asked to participate
• What increases chances of recruitment?

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Resources

• Time
• Money
• Civic skills
• Organizational skills
• Language skills
• Social adeptness
• What increases resources?

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Note . . .

• Some demographic characteristics can cut both
  ways
• Example having children
• May increase interest/engagement
• May decrease resources

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Implications for Civic Voluntarism Model

• Equal opportunity not all that equal
• Importance of social capital and group membership
• Importance of political entrepreneurs
  politicians and groups that mobilize people
• Importance of childhood experiences (family life,
  education) in adult political behavior

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Barriers to ParticipationFormal

• Voter Eligibility
• Registration laws
• Campaign finance laws
• Number / quality of polling places

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Barriers to ParticipationInformal

• Lack of money
• Lack of time
• Lack of knowledge
• Language barriers
• Lack of social capital

20
Participation The Big Picture

• 2004 55 of Voting Age Population actually
  voted (highest since 1968)
• 2002 37 of Voting Age Population actually
  voted
• Numbers somewhat misleading
• VAP includes all adults, even those who are
  ineligible to vote.
• In fact, 63.8 of the CITIZEN population voted in
  2004

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Turnout

• Declining over past 50 years
• Why?
• Do we care?

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Turnout in 2004 - Race
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Turnout in 2004 - Gender

• Men (citizens) 62.1
• Women (citizens) 65.4

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Turnout in 2004 -- Age
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Demographics of Participation

• Higher education
• Higher SES
• Higher age
• Cohort Effect?

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Big Picture Again

• Again, do we care about turnout?
• What can we do to fix it?