CH 8 SUM
INCREASING SUFFRAGE
15TH AMENDMENT=BLACKS
19TH AMENDMENT=WOMEN
24TH AMENDMENT=NON-TAXPAYERS
26TH AMENDMENT=18 TO 21 YEAR OLDS
CH 8 SUM
STATE QUALIFICATIONS
18, CITIZEN, RESIDENT, REGISTERED
REASONS FOR NOT VOTING
CANNOT VOTERS
SUPPORTIVE NON-VOTERS
(Oakwood ?)
ALIENATED NON-VOTERS
(Jefferson ?)
LACK OF INTEREST / APATHY
AMERICANS…
LESS LIKELY TO VOTE THAN EUROPEANS

US HAS MORE ELECTIVE OFFICES
( ABOUT 52, 000+)

US HAS A COMPLEX REGISTRATION
PROCESS

US POLITICAL PARTIES ARE WEAKER

US HAS LESS DAILY GOVERNMENT
INVOLVEMENT
Australia
95%
Malta
Austria
Belgium
Italy
94%
92%
91%
90%
Luxembourg
Iceland
New Zealand
90%
89%
88%
Denmark
Germany
Sweden
Greece
87%
86%
86%
86%
Venezuela
Czech Rep.
Brazil
85%
85%
83%
Brazil
Netherlands
Costa Rica
Norway
Romania
Bulgaria
Israel
Portugal
Finland
Canada
France
U.K.
Ireland
Spain
Japan
83%
83%
81%
81%
81%
80%
80%
79%
78%
76%
76%
76%
74%
73%
71%
Japan
Estonia
Hungary
Russia
71%
69%
66%
61%
India
U. S.
Switz
58%
54%
54%
Poland
51%
INACTIVES (22%)
LITTLE PARTICIPATION IF ANY
PAROCHIAL PARTICIPANTS
NO VOTING OR CAMPAIGNING
CONTACT OFFICIALS ABOUT
SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
COMMUNALISTS
ENGAGED W/ NONPARTISAN
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
VOTING SPECIALISTS
REGULARLY VOTE
BUT VERY LITTLE ELSE
CAMPAIGNERS
VOTE
GET INVOLVED W/ CAMPAIGNS
COMPLETE ACTIVISTS (11%)
PARTICPATES IN ALL FORMS OF
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
MORE EDUCATED
(MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR)
HIGHER INCOME
UNION MEMBERSHIP
POLITICALLY AFFILIATED
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
OLDER
MARRIED
LACK OF POLITICAL EFFICACY
“INTERNAL” AND/OR “EXTERNAL”
LACK OF MOTIVATION
UNINSPIRING CANDIDATES
NO REALIGNING ISSUES
AKA “CRITICAL ELECTIONS”
“BUSY”
Figure 13.2- Why People Don’t Vote

Back
Voters lining up outside a Baghdad polling station during the 2005 Iraqi election.
Voter turnout was considered high despite widespread concerns of violence.
WOMEN VOTING IN AFGHANISTAN
“BALLOT CONFUSION” ??
SOUTH AFRICANS WAITING
TO VOTE FOR THE FIRST TIME (1994)
12 HOURS OF LATER
Ways to Improve Voter Turnout

Make registration and absentee voting easier.

Make Election Day a holiday.

Strengthen political parties.
Patterns in Vote Choice

Party members most dependable for party nominees.

Ticket-splitting has increased.

Race: minorities largely vote for Democrats.

Gender: women usually vote for Democrats.

Income: poor typically vote for Democrats.

Ideology: liberals largely vote for Democrats.

Issues: prospective and retrospective judgments.
AV- Turnout of Eligible Voters

Back
Figure 13.1- South v. Non-South

Back
Figure 13.3- Registered Voters

Back
Figure 13.5- Electoral College 2008

Back
2008
2000
McCain 47.2
Bush
49.9
Obama 51.2
Gore
46.4
2004
1996
Bush
50.8
Dole
41
Kerry
48.7
Clinton 47.3
Figure 13.6- Gerrymandering

Back
Gerrymander “art”

http://rangevoting.org/GerryGal.html
http://www.redistrictinggame.org/
Figure 13.7- Electronic Voting Machines

Back
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry
Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 10
Elections and Voting
Behavior
How American Elections Work
Types of elections:
Primary elections: Select party nominees Select
officeholders
General elections: Select options on specific policies
Referendum: state-level method of direct legislation that
gives voters a chance to approve proposed legislation or
constitutional amendment
Initiative : process permitted in some states whereby voters
may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a
vote, given a sufficient number of signatures
Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice
Suffrage: the legal right to vote
Extended to African Americans by the 15th Amend
Extended to Women by the 19th Amendment
Extended to people over 18 by the 26th Amendment
Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice
U.S. has low voter turnout
Political Efficacy: the belief that one’s political
participation really matters
Civic Duty: the belief that in order to support democratic
government, a citizen should always vote
Those who see clear differences between parties are likely
to vote.
If indifferent, then one may rationally abstain from voting.
From Government in America, 13th edition.
Registering To Vote
Voter Registration: a system adopted by the states
that requires voters to register well in advance of
the election day
Registration procedures differ by state.
Motor Voter Act: passed in 1993, requires states to
permit people to register to vote when they apply
for their driver’s license
Who Votes?
More education = more likely to vote.
Most important factor
BUT connected to many other ‘traits’
Older = more likely to vote
UNTIL mobility becomes a problem
Caucasian = more likely to vote.
BUT, other ethnicities are higher with comparable
education or higher income
Female = more likely to vote
Who Votes?
Married = more likely to vote
Union member = more likely to vote
Traits are cumulative
–possessing several adds up
How Americans Vote:
Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Candidates want a good visual image.
Especially on dimensions of integrity,
reliability, and competence
Personality plays a role in vote choice, especially
if a candidate is perceived to be incompetent or
dishonest. (Elite?) (Career Politician?)
How Americans Vote:
Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Party Identification
People still generally vote for a party they agree with.
With the rise of candidate-centered politics, parties’ hold
on voters declined in the 1960s and 1970s. (More splitticket voting.)
Is this changing with increase ‘partisanship’?
Many more voters make an individual voting decision and
are up for grabs each election, (so-called floating voters).
How Americans Vote:
Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Mandate Theory of Elections*
The idea that the winning candidate has a
mandate from the people to carry out his or
her platforms and politics
*Politicians like the theory better than
political scientists do.
Policy Voting
Basing your vote choice on issue preferences and
where the candidates stand on policy issues
Policy voting may occur if :
Voters know where they and the candidates stand on
issues and see differences between candidates
Unlikely to occur because:
Candidates can be ambiguous on the issues.
Media tend to focus on the “horse race” not issues.
Today candidates are forced to take a clear stand in
the party primaries increasing chances for policy
voting.
Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior
Candidates who vow to continue popular policies are more
likely to win elections.
Retrospective voting: voters cast a vote based on what a
candidate has done for them lately.
Those who feel worse-likely to vote against incumbents.
Bad economies make politicians nervous.
Start Here
on
Thursday
The Last Battle: The Electoral College
Electoral college actually elects the president—
founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the
country
States (political parties) choose the electors
Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis
to more populated states
How the Electoral College works
Each state has as many votes as it does
Representatives and Senators.
Winner of popular vote typically gets all the
Electoral College votes for that state
Electors meet in December, votes are reported by
the vice president in January
If no candidate gets a majority (270 votes), the
House of Representatives votes for president,
with each state casting one vote.
A Tale of Three Elections
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_colle
Elections and the Scope of Government
Federal Gov’t does more now because…
Elections generally support government policies
and power.
Voters feel they are sending a message to
government to accomplish something
Thus, the government expands to fill the needs of
the voters.
Summary
Voters make two basic decisions at election time:
1-Whether to vote
2-Who to vote for
Party identification, candidate evaluations, and
policy positions drive vote choice.
How important are demographics ?
Voter Demographics = Stereotyping?
Does this influence campaigns? Policies?
Elections are fundamental to a democracy.
WILSON CH. 6 - POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
IMPORTANT TERMS
ACTIVIST
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT
CAMPAIGNERS
COMMUNALISTS
COMPLETE ACTIVISTS
ELIGIBLE ELECTORATE
FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT
WILSON CH. 6 - POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
IMPORTANT TERMS
GRANDFATHER CLAUSES
INACTIVES
LITERACY TEST
MOTOR-VOTER BILL
NINETEENTH AMENDMENT
PAROCHIAL PARTICIPANTS
POLL TAX
REGISTERED VOTERS
WILSON CH. 6 - POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
IMPORTANT TERMS
TWENTY-SIXTH AMENDMENT
TWENTY-THIRD AMENDMENT
VOTER APATHY
VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1970
VOTING-AGE POPULATION
VOTING SPECIALISTS
WHITE PRIMARIES
WILSON CH. 6 - POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
QUESTIONS
1-IS VOTER PARTICIPATION LOWER IN THE USA
THAN IN EUROPEAN CONTRIES? EXPLAIN YOUR
ANSWER.
2-WHAT HAVE BEEN THE POLICY CONSEQUENCES
OF A BROADER ELECTORATE.
WILSON CH. 6 - POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
QUESTIONS
3-WHAT COULD BE DONE TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT?
4-WHAT SORTS OF PEOPLE ARE OVERREPRESENTED ANOUNG
THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE A GREAT DEAL? DOE THIS BIAS
THE POLICIES THE GOVERNMENT WILL ADOPT? IF SO,
WHICH ONES?