Political Participation:
Activating the Popular Will
Chapter 7
Voter Participation

Factors in voter turnout: the United States in
comparative perspective
 Significantly
lower turnout than European
democracies
 Registration requirements
 Historically a
means to limit suffrage
 Motor voter law
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2
Voter Turnout in Presidential
Elections, 1960–2008
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3
Voter Participation

Factors in voter turnout: the United States in
comparative perspective
 Registration
requirements
 Voter
ID cards serve to depress voter turnout
 Georgia photo ID/voter identification card law

Federal judge struck down monetary requirement
 Supreme
Court upheld Indiana voter ID card
requirement
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4
Voter Participation

Factors in voter turnout: the United States in
comparative perspective
 Frequency
of elections
 Elections at
many levels of government, frequent and
staggered
 Primary elections
 Americans asked to vote two or three times as often as
Europeans
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5
Should Voters be Required to Carry
a Government-Issued Photo ID?

Pro:
 Voting
fraud is widespread and detrimental
 All citizens will be assisted in getting IDs

Con:
 Poor,
elderly, and minorities will be
disenfranchised
 Little documentation of voter fraud
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6
Voter Participation

Why some Americans vote and others do not
 Education
and income
 Age
 Civic
attitudes
 Apathy
 Alienation
 Civic
duty
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7
Voter Turnout and Level
of Income, 2008
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8
American’s Opinions on Voting as
a Duty, by Age
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9
Conventional Forms of
Participation Other Than Voting

Campaign and lobbying activities
 Virtual participation
 Political
campaigns and citizen mobilization
 Democratizing effects but also political
polarization

Community activities
 Decline
in social capital?
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10
Online Campaign Activities
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Campaign Activity
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12
Unconventional Activism: Social
Movements and Protest Politics

Social movements: way for citizens
disenchanted with government to express
opposition and work for change they seek
 Political protests more planned today than in
the past
 Political protests less common today, and low
public support for protesters
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13
Participation and Potential
for Influence

Individualism diminishes political
participation
 Lower-income Americans least likely to vote
or participate politically; lack resources and
education levels
 Participation reflects socioeconomic level
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Protest Activity
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15
Americans’ Opinions of Iraq War
Protest
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