StudySpace: We the People ed. 6

Political Participation

Participation may be a function of what the government does to make it easier or harder for citizens to participate. The United States has one of the lowest turnout rates of all the Western democracies. In the 1996 and 2000 Presidential elections, only about half of eligible voters cast ballots. In 2004 Presidential elections, voter turnout rose to 59 percent due to major voter mobilization efforts. Voter turnout in midterm elections is usually even lower. This low voter turnout may be a by-product of mechanisms that make it more difficult to participate in the democratic process (e.g., voter registration, timing of election, complexity of voting devices). Another explanation for the low turnout may be that our political institutions are more geared towards raising money than mobilizing the electorate.

I. In what different ways do Americans participate in politics? Why is voting the most important form of political participation?

• Voting is seen as the normal or typical form of political activity.  Other forms of participation require more effort, time or money than voting.
• Historically, participation in riots or protests was a common means of political involvement.
• Other forms of political involvement include contacting public officials; contributing to campaigns; and joining interest groups that engage in lobbying, public relations, and litigation.
• Voting remains the primary means of political participation for most Americans.
• Today, all native-born or naturalized citizens 18 years or older, with the exception of convicted felons, have the right to vote.

 

Who Participates and How?

I. What is the history of suffrage in the United States?

• Voting rights were initially left to the states and were restricted to white males who owned property or paid taxes.
• By the beginning of the Civil War, voting rights had been extended to all white males.
• The Fifteenth Amendment provided that the states could not deny the right to vote on the basis of race.
• States, however, implemented poll taxes, literacy tests, and white primaries as a way to reduce minority voting.
• The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) provided that the states could not deny the right to vote on the basis of gender.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were legislative attempts to overcome barriers that limited minority voting rights.
• Government stresses civic education as a way to create support for participation in the political process.
• Despite these efforts, only about 50 percent of eligible voters participate in presidential elections compared to 70 to 90 percent in European countries.

 

Explaining Political Participation

I. What explains levels of participation?

• The first explanation for participation is socioeconomic status—individuals with higher levels of education and income are more likely to participate than those with lower levels of education and income.
• Race is generally used to explain voter turnout—with whites generally voting at a higher percentage than minority voters—however, when one controls for income and education, these differences disappear.
• Men traditionally voted at rates higher than women, but that trend has reversed over the past twenty years.
• Older citizens are more likely to vote than younger citizens.
• Individuals who concerned about public issues—civic engagement—are more likely to become involved.
• Formal obstacles to participation such as registration and residency requirements, elections being held on a workday (Tuesday), and lifetime voting bans on convicted felons limit participation.
• However, in recent decades, 80% of registered voters have participated in presidential elections, so registration requirements are the major hurdle in getting Americans to vote.
• Once other barriers, such as poll taxes and white primaries, were lifted in the 1960s, black voting shot up dramatically.
• Contested elections that are perceived to be close create interest and lead to a mobilization of the electorate.
• Political parties, candidates, and interest groups may mobilize their supporters to get out the vote (e.g., personal contact).

 

II. Why has participation declined over time?

• Participation has declined despite a general increase in the socioeconomic condition of most Americans.
• Elections that are not contested or are perceived as a given for the incumbent decrease participation.
• Interest groups have reduced mobilization efforts.
• Weak political parties have become less important in the political process.
• Many believe that there are too many elections and the ballots are too long, thus creating voter fatigue.
• The politics of personal attacks and an emphasis on corruption may have contributed to distrust of government and an aversion to participation in the political process.
• Television and other electronic media have been widely blamed for the decline of civic participation.
• However, the new media also offer new opportunities to enhance citizen participation.

 

Thinking Critically about Participation Liberty, Equality and Democracy

I. Does the contemporary system of political participation in the US reinforce inequality by providing a stronger voice for more advanced groups?

• Checkbook democracy is a major aspect of inequality in politics because citizens with fatter wallets are much better positioned to participate in this form of politics.
• Furthermore, checkbook politics saps the energy from democracy because most members have only lose connections with groups that receive their checks. Thus interest groups lobby with little direct accountability to their membership and fail to mobilize people directly.
• Many elite and upper-middle class people no longer participate in public institutions, but send their children to private schools, obtain their medical care from generous private insurance plans and have private police guard their gated communities.
• The absence of political participation is a sign of the weakening of democracy.

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