Political Participation

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Political Participation

• Americans with higher socio-economic status (SES)
  participate at higher rates. Why?
• Participation rates are a function of resources
  and civic skills. Both come with higher SES.
• Resources necessary?
• Money
• Time
• Civic Skills necessary?
• Knowing the system who to contact.
• Research skills leadership skills.

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Types of Political Participation

• Voting Least costly, thus most common
  (Presidential elections).
• Activity in campaigns Includes working for a
  party or a candidate and going to rallies.
• Contributing money to campaigns Typically, only
  done by wealthy.
• Contacting government officials, including
  writing letters, email, phoning officials.
  Requires time and civic skills.
• Community participation Volunteering locally.
  Trending upwards.

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Types of US Elections

• Primaries Caucuses. Elections held to choose
  party nominee for the general election.
• General Election. Voters choose btw candidates
  of different parties, selecting the officeholder.
  National general election in November.
• Initiative Petitions Voters place a policy
  question on the ballot for direct approval. Ex
  Issues 2-5 on ballot (minimum wage (2), slot
  machines (3), smoking (4, 5).
• Referendum Voters approve (or not) policy
  placed on ballot by legislature. Recall.
• Direct Democracy only in state/local elections.

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Voter Turnout

• Turn-out has decreased substantially in recent
  decades. High of about 65 in 1960.

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Voter Turnout

• Turnout in American elections, typically low,
  even presidential. Worse in other elections.
• Typical midterm congressional 35
• Typical primary election 20
• Typical local election (off-year) 20
• Turnout in USA much lower than other democracies.
  Why?
• Registration requirements- these differ from
  state to state.
• Too many elections?
• Declining political efficacy, increased cynicism.

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Who Votes?

• Critical question for democracy. Why?
• Demographic indicators of vote
• Age. The young rarely vote.
• Wealth. Poor unlikely to vote.
• Education. Uneducated unlikely to vote.
• Married voters more likely to vote.
• Race immaterial once SES is accounted for. Once
  SES is controlled, minorities vote at greater
  rates.
• The best indicator? Registration.

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Why Vote?

• One vote rarely ever matters, especially in high
  turnout elections, so why vote?
• Voting is costly, especially w/ registration and
  learning complex policies. So, how is it
  rational to vote?
• More rational to vote if candidates offer
  distinct differences. They often do not.
• Civic Duty
• Political Efficacy leads to people voting, belief
  that participation matters.

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Presidential Nomination Race

• Nomination campaign decides who runs for each
  party in the general election. Occurs in the
  Winter Spring (first votes late January).
• IA, NH first, shape the field, enormous
  influence.
• Whats necessary to win
• Money,
• Media Attention,
• Momentum. All of these relate to one another.
• The prize pledged delegates for national
  convention.

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Problems with the Nomination Process

• Disproportionate attention to early primaries.
• Late primaries irrelevant, leads to
  front-loading, as states move their primaries up,
  increasing costs.
• High costs mean money has great impact.
• Participation in primaries is low and is not
  representative. Party activists are ideologues.
• Candidates cater to extremes, middle loses out.
• To much power to the media they decide play the
  role of king makers.

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Money and US Elections

• Campaign Finance Laws created in early 1970s,
  revised several times, 2002 law most recent.
• 1974 FECA led to full disclosure, donation
  limits, voluntary spending limits in presidential
  races subsidized presidential races (if
  limits).
• Also created Federal Elections Commission (FEC).
• Created Political Action Committees (PACs), which
  funnel regulated to campaigns.
• 2002 reform seriously limited soft money
  donations to political parties.

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Money and US Elections

• Campaign Finance Laws strictly limit donations
  from PACs and individuals. Candidates can spend
  unlimited amounts of own .
• 2000 limit for individuals per campaign.
• 10,000 limit for PACs per campaign.
• Early money is most significant.
• Early money buys legitimacy (begetting more ),
  allows candidate to campaign effectively.
• Most money spent on campaign TV Ads.
• TV Ads tending toward negative most effective
  and informative. http//www.polisci.wisc.edu/tvadv
  ertising/Historic20Ads20Library.htm

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Money Effects

• While money is crucial, it is not everything.
• In fact, congressional incumbents that spend the
  most tend to receive the least votes.
• Money is a necessary, but insufficient factor.
• However, is especially important for challenger
  candidates.
• It is not true that PAC money buys members of
  Congress (their votes).
• PACs give to their friends, so likely to vote
  with them anyway.
• most important in presidential nomination race

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Campaign Effects

• Political campaigns (outside of the nomination
  race) are less crucial in elections than
  politicians believe. Most voters make decision
  very early.
• Reinforcement, Activation, Conversion.
• Campaigns mostly reinforce and activate, rarely
  do they convert.
• Campaigns change very few votes, but they do
  stimulate turn-out.
• Reasons for weak effect?
• Few pay attention, most is selective perception
• Party ID voters Incumbency advantage.

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Explaining How People Vote

• Policy Mandate theory The idea that the winning
  candidate has a mandate from the people to carry
  out his or her policy agenda.
• Require convincing win based on issue voting.
• Presidents especially like this theory, as it
  lends legitimacy to their policy agenda.
• Political scientists do not, as rarely do voters
  vote based on issues.

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The Voting Decision

• Three major elements in the voting decision
• Party Identification Provides short cut when we
  vote- a perspective to evaluate candidates and
  issues.
• Candidate Evaluations Leadership qualities
  (integrity, reliability, and competence), as well
  as the candidates image (visual confidence).
  More important in recent elections. Why?
• Policy voting Base vote on issue preferences,
  Difficult to do, rarely done.
• Media unhelpful, positions often ambiguous.
• http//www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/sta
  tes/US/P/00/epolls.0.html

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The Electoral College

• The process used to select the president. To
  win, candidate must receive a majority (270) of
  electoral votes, which total 538.
• Each state gets EC votes s in Congress.
• Biased in favor of small states, magnifying their
  voting power. Disfavors 3rd parties.
• Votes primarily determined on a winner-take-all
  process, which can distort the final outcome.
• Essentially, 50 different presidential races,
  with attention fixed on battleground (swing)
  states. Closeness, not size, is what is
  important here.