The Power of Civic Engagement

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The Power of Civic Engagement

• Voting/ civic participation

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Who is this?
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Who is this?
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Popular sovereignty

• Self government
• Participation is attachment to
• Community
• States
• Country
• Active participation on civic life

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Voluntary Associations

• Unpaid groups that solve community problems and
  take care of one another
• Religious organizations
• Social organization
• Service and business organizations
• Nongovernmental organizations
• NGOs

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Participation in National Government

• Political Parties
• Two major
• Third parties
• Public Policy
• Public opinion
• Voting
• Electoral College

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How does the Electoral College work?

• Review

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The Mechanics

• The Presidential Election should be viewed as 51
  separate elections each with a winner take all
  system
• Except for Main Nebraska
• To win a candidate must get a majority of 538
  votes or 270
• Each state is represented in the EC according to
  their total number of members of Congress

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The Mechanics Contd

• The total electoral vote of 538 is based on 100
  senators, 435 representatives for the 50 states.
  
• The 23rd Amendment gave Washington, DC 3
  electoral votes
• The candidates compete in 50 states and DC for
  electoral votes and the winner must have at least
  270
• The Electoral College always works when there are
  only two candidates

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the electoral college by scaling the sizes of
states to be proportional to their number of
electoral votes
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The Mechanics Contd

• If there are more than two candidates, the
  system might not work
• If the system does not work, the House elects the
  President and the Senate elects the
  Vice-President. This has not happened since
  1824.
• Politics 101
• CNN map
• Video Electoral College

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Voter Turnout

• According to US Census
• 2004
• 72.1 register voters
• 63.8 voter turnout
• Lower numbers at State and Local elections
• Whites 67
• African Americans 60
• Hispanics 47
• Asian Americans 44
• Age 45 and higher 70
• Young adults (age 18 24) 45
• Lowest number
• Men 65
• Women 62
• Minnesota had the highest citizen-voting rate at
  79 percent

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• Elections are administrated at the state and
  local levels
• Almost all states required voters to register
  with country officials
• National Voter Registration Act (1993)
• Early voting
• Absentee ballots
• Mail-in ballots
• To increase voting turnout people have suggested
• National Election Day
• 24hrs polling places