Political%20Participation

1
Political Participation

• Why Do People Vote?
• Who Votes?
• Do We Care?

2
Homework

• Due Thursday, BEGINNING of Class
• 3-1, 6-6
• 3-4 for extra credit (worth 20 points)
• http//elections.gmu.edu/Voter_Turnout_2004.htm

3
Pre-1990s Scholarship

• Two camps
• Rational choice theorists
• Demographic predictor researchers

4
Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy
(1957)

• People vote if (PB) C gt 0

5
Good theory, bad prediction

• Predicts that rational people never vote
• Possible fix
• Focus on different benefits . . . Psychic
  benefits, duty
• Turnout not always sensitive to changes in costs
• National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act)
  of 1993) increased registration but not turnout
• BUT what about effects of same day registration?

6
2004 Total Turnout Rates for Voting Eligible
Population

• Minnesota 77.21
• Wisconsin 76.19
• Maine 73.37

7
Possible explanations

• Law High Turnout
• Law
• Civic Culture
• High Turnout

8
Other Camp

• Demographic people are able to predict behavior
  based on characteristics
• Education
• SES
• Race
• Age
• But, they dont really explain why people vote
  (description rather than explanation)

9
So . . .

• One camp is developing explanations that dont do
  a good job of describing actual behavior
• The other camp is developing descriptions but not
  bothering to explain the why question

10
Civic Voluntarism Model

• Henry Brady, Sidney Verba and Kay Lehman
  Schlozman
• Voice and Equality

11
Civic Voluntarism Model

• Interest/Engagement
• Mobilization/Recruitment
• Resources

12
Interest/Engagement

• interest in politics
• political efficacy (I can make a difference, I
  can participate effectively)
• sense of civic duty (Its my job as an American
  to participate)
• group consciousness (As my community goes, so go
  I)
• party identification
• commitment to personal issues

13
What might affect interest/engagement?
14
Mobilization/Recruitment

• Being asked to participate
• What increases chances of recruitment?

15
Resources

• Time
• Money
• Civic skills
• Organizational skills
• Language skills
• Social adeptness
• What increases resources?

16
Note . . .

• Some demographic characteristics can cut both
  ways
• Example having children
• May increase interest/engagement
• May decrease resources

17
Implications for Civic Voluntarism Model

• Equal opportunity not all that equal
• Importance of social capital and group membership
• Importance of political entrepreneurs
  politicians and groups that mobilize people
• Importance of childhood experiences (family life,
  education) in adult political behavior

18
Barriers to ParticipationFormal

• Voter Eligibility
• Registration laws
• Campaign finance laws
• Number / quality of polling places

19
Barriers to ParticipationInformal

• Lack of money
• Lack of time
• Lack of knowledge
• Language barriers
• Lack of social capital

20
Participation The Big Picture

• 2004 55 of Voting Age Population actually
  voted (highest since 1968)
• 2002 37 of Voting Age Population actually
  voted
• Numbers somewhat misleading
• VAP includes all adults, even those who are
  ineligible to vote.
• In fact, 63.8 of the CITIZEN population voted in
  2004

21
Turnout

• Declining over past 50 years
• Why?
• Do we care?

22
Turnout in 2004 - Race
Adult Citizens Voting
White 67.2
Black 60.0
Hispanic 47.2
Asian 44.1
23
Turnout in 2004 - Gender

• Men (citizens) 62.1
• Women (citizens) 65.4

24
Turnout in 2004 -- Age
18 to 24 years 46.7
25 to 34 years 55.7
35 to 44 years 64.0
45 to 54 years 68.7
55 to 64 years 72.8
65 to 74 years 73.3
75 years and over 68.5
25
Demographics of Participation

• Higher education
• Higher SES
• Higher age
• Cohort Effect?

26
Big Picture Again

• Again, do we care about turnout?
• What can we do to fix it?