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| Chapter 8: Political Participation and Voting |
| Questions for Discussion and Thought |
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| 1. Positive attitudes about voting do not arise in a completely spontaneous manner. Civic education is part of high school and college curricula across the nation. In your opinion, is the government doing not enough or too much to educate citizens about politics? Why is educating citizens about politics important for democracy? |
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| 2. The less that political campaigns appeal to young voters, the less likely they are to participate. And the less likely they participate, the less they will be targeted by political campaigns. How do you suggest we break this vicious cycle? What would be the most effective ways to target young voters? What effect would more young voters have on election outcomes? |
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| 3. Do your parents vote? Does their example influence your voting behavior? If they don’t vote, do they explain why? If they do vote, have they told you why they think it is important? |
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| 4. Do you think that student council elections help teach people the importance of voting? How many people turn out to vote in student government elections at your college or university? Do you vote in campus elections? If not, why not? |
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