Participation: Where Have All the Voters Gone

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Participation Where Have All the Voters Gone?

• Braunwarth
• POSC 121

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Participation

• How does political participation in the U.S.
  compare to other democracies?
• Very low
• Rage for Democracy
• What two factors account for almost all variance
  in participation?
• 1. Education and
• 2. Income
• In other words, Class

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Spiral of Participation

• The following work in concert
• Participation
• Government Response
• Sense of Political Efficacy
• Depending on class, this works either positively
  or negatively

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Voter Turnout and Income Level
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Voting and Non-Voting

• Take a minute and explore, in writing, why you
  did or did not vote
• Political facts (i.e. non-voting) do not
  necessarily speak for themselves
• They provide different ways of constructing
  reality
• First, lets take a look at non-voting

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Non-Voting

• Explanations
• Why Dont Participate?
• Democratic Assessment?

• Elite Popular
• Content Discouraged
• Ignorant Alienated
• Dont Care No Real Choice
• Fortunate Unhealthy

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Elite Explanations

• Assuming the Elite explanation of non-voting,
• Why are people not voting?
• They are satisfied or ignorant or apathetic
• How would U.S. Government and Politics be changed
  in non-voters were involved?
• Are fortunate the ignorant dont vote but if they
  did it would probably not change things very much

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Popular Explanations

• Assuming the Popular Democratic explanation of
  non-voting,
• Why are people not voting?
• People are alienated and discouraged
• How would U.S. Government and Politics be changed
  in non-voters were involved?
• More diverse choices and perspectives that appeal
  to their concerns

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Voting

• Why do people vote?
• Is actually quite rational and reasonable
• Every vote does count
• Civic Duty
• Attaches you to the political system
• Avenue for rule, especially as a group
• Keeps politicians accountable

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Democracy Requires Participation

• Democracy is not something you believe in or a
  place to hang your hat, but it's something you
  do. You participate. If you stop doing it,
  democracy crumbles
• Abbie Hoffman

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• Lets take a little quiz
• 1. A person appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court
  is appointed for what term?
• 2. If a person is indicted for a crime, name two
  rights which he has.
• 3. Cases tried before a court of law or of what
  two types civil and ______?

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• 4. If no candidate for president receives a
  majority of the electoral vote, who decides who
  will become president?
• 5. If no person receives a majority of the
  electoral vote, the vice-president is chosen by
  the Senate, true or false?
• 6. If an effort to impeach the President is made,
  who presides at the trial?

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• 7. If the two houses of Congress do not agree on
  adjournment, who sets the time?
• 8. A president elected in November takes office
  the following year on what date?
• 9. Of the original thirteen states, which had the
  largest representation in the first Congress?
• 10. The Constitution limits the size of the
  District of Columbia to________?

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• Good job
• Here are the answers
• 1. Supreme Court Justices serve for life
• 2. Freedom from self-incrimination, speedy trial,
  trial by peers, freedom from cruel and unusual
  punishment, counsel, no double jeopardy, due
  process, no excessive bail
• 3. Cases are either criminal or civil

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• 4. The House chooses the president if there is no
  electoral majority
• 5. True, the Senate chooses the vice-president
• 6. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
  presides at an impeachment trial
• 7. The President sets the adjournment time
• 8. The President takes office on January 20
• 9. Pennsylvania had the largest delegation
• 10. D. C. is limited to 10 square miles

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Whos Afraid of Voters?

• How did you do?
• Probably not well, indicating you are illiterate
• You have just taken a portion of the Alabama
  literacy test
• How was this used?
• To limit blacks from voting in Alabama
• What does this say about popular mobilization and
  the threat to elite rule?
• Participation is Power!