2607 Agenda

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• 2/6/07 Agenda
• Check reading notes pages 188-195
• 2) Quiz on reading pages 178-195
• 3) Lecture Voter Participation

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• Please get out a half sheet of paper. Thank you!
• Title the paper Quiz Pages 178-195 and put your
  heading in the upper right corner.
• Number your paper 1-6

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• 1) All of the following were techniques used to
  prevent African-Americans from voting EXCEPT
• A) Grandfather clause
• B) Australian ballot
• C) Poll tax
• D) Literacy test
• E) White primary

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• 2) The rate of voter turnout in the United States
  is __________ most other industrialized
  democracies.
• A) measured more often than
• B) higher than
• C) measured less often than
• D) lower than
• E) about equal to

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• 3) Americans citizens who are 18-20 years old
  were given the right to vote in
• A) 1865, after the Civil War.
• B) 1920, with the ratification of the 19th
  Amendment.
• C) 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights
  Act.
• D) 1971, with the ratification of the 26th
  Amendment.
• E) 1991, with the passage of the "Rock the Vote"
  Act.

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• 4) Political Scientists Verba and Nie categorized
  U.S. participation in six characteristic groups.
  The groups include all of the following EXCEPT
• A) Voting specialists
• B) Completely inactive
• C) Populists
• D) Completely active
• E) Campaigners

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• 5) Although most demographic indicators point to
  an expected increase in voting since the 1960s,
  we have actually seen a significant decline in
  turnout. One of the reasons for this decline
  seems to be
• A) more stringent voter registration laws.
• B) the decrease in effectiveness of political
  parties in mobilizing voters.
• C) decreasing levels of education across the
  country.
• D) increasing levels of racial discrimination at
  the polling booth.
• E) increasing levels of cynicism about government.

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• 6) Attending Church tends to make a person
  _______ voting than someone who does not attend
  church.
• A) More likely to participate in
• B) Less likely to participate in
• C) More resentful about
• D) Less resentful about
• E) More cautious about

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• Please open your Interactive Notebook to page 31.
  Thank you!
• Title the page Voting Behavior and get ready to
  take lecture notes

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• 1842 law House members elected by district
• 15th Amendment (1870) seemed to give suffrage to
  African Americans
• 19th Amendment (1920) Women given suffrage
• 26th Amendment (1971) 18-year-olds given suffrage

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Nonvoting

• The real problem is low voter registration rates

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Voter Turnout

• Real decline is caused by lessening popular
  interest and decreasing party mobilization
• Difficulty of Registration also a factor

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Predictors of Participation

• Those with schooling or political information
  more likely to vote
• Church-goers vote more
• Men and women vote at the same rate

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Predictors of Participation

• Black participation is lower than that of whites
  overall
• Controlling for socioeconomic status, blacks
  participate at a higher rate than whites
• Studies show no correlation between distrust of
  political leaders and not voting

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Factors That Decrease Turnout

• More youths, blacks, and other minorities in
  population are pushing down the percentage
• Parties are less effective in mobilizing voters

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Participation Other Than Voting

• give money to a candidate
• join political organizations

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What Participation Rates Mean

• Americans vote less, but participate more
• Americans elect more officials and have more
  elections
• U.S. turnout rates are heavily skewed to higher
  status persons

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• II. Structural Reasons For Non-Voting
• A. Registration
• B. Inability to take off work (Tuesday voting)
• C. First Past the post (winner take all)
• system.
• D. Feelings like apathy are not a structural
• reason.

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• Other Variables that affect voter turnout
• 1. Marital Status
• 2. Unions
• 3. Government worker.
• A. Most likely to vote Black, college educated,
  120,000/year (or more)
• salary, government worker, age 30.
• B. Least Likely to vote Dropout, unskilled
  worker who makes 20,000
• or less per year, age 60
• (How to get the right answer on the test)

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• Homework
• Read pages 198-208 in the textbook.
• Take at least 2 pages of notes on pp. 33-34 of
  your Interactive Notebook. (35 is overflow)
• Due Thursday