Chapter 7/Topic 3: Political Participation

Political Participation:

Involvement in activities intended to influence public policy and leadership.

• Including suffrage

Suffrage:

The right to vote.

Did states initally limit suffrage and if so to who?

Yes, they initally granted it to white men who owned property.

• Benjamin Franklin criticized this.

Why did Benjamin Franklin criticize states granting only white men who owned property suffrage?

Because a man whose only item of property was a jackass would lose his right to vote if the jackass(donkey) died.

How many years elapsed before states eliminated the property restriction on voting?

Fifty years

Who else got the right to vote?

• African American men: 15th Amendment(1870)

• Women: 19th Amendment(1920)

• Young adults: Twenty-Sixth Amendment(1971)

Women: 19th Amendment(1920):

• Susan B. Anthony was the leader.

  • Women sometimes got put in mental institutions for being deemed as insane.

Susan B. Anthony:

Prior to leading the movement for women’s suffrage. She was arrested when she tired to cast a ballot in her hometown of Rochster, NY.

Were Black men still supressed from voting?

Yes, often met with intimidation and literacy tests that were almost impossible to pass.

• White only primaries.

Young adults: Twenty-Sixth Amendment(1971):

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

• “If you’re old enough to die, you’re old enough to vote.”

Do a majority of Americans choose not to vote in national elections?

Yes, turnout in midterm elections is even lower.

• Lower turnout compared to most Western democracies.

Registration:

Putting one’s name on the official list of eligible voters.

• Historically, implemented to eliminate multiple voting/voter fraud.

Does voter turnout correlate with the ease of registration?

Yes, motor voter act and identification laws are both factors that correlate with the turnout.

Motor Voter Act:

When you register your car you can also register to vote.

• Federal government implemented this.

Do states that have easier voter identification laws have higher turnout?

Yes, some states allow you to register early or allow registration on Election day.

Do states that have harder voter identification laws have higher turnout?

No, some states want you to register up to two months early or on Election day and require driver’s license or a passport.

Who is among the population who doesn’t have valid government issued ID?

Minorites, young adults, and low-income individuals often don’t possess driver’s license or a passport.

• Therefore, those who don’t, may have a harder time voting due to harder voter identification laws.

What are three obstacles that exist to voting?

Registration, voter identification laws, and frequency of elections.

Does frequency of elections put any burden on voters?

Yes, numerous off-cycle elections at state and local levels put burden on voters.

• Direct primary voting adds to election congestion.

Who’re among the most likely to vote and why?

College-educated and upper-income Americans

• They have the financial resources and communication skills that encourage participation and make it more rewarding.

Who’re among the most least likely to vote and why?

Young adults, less income, and education are substantially less likely to vote.

• They’re less familiar with registration requirements, deadlines, and locations of registration offices. Also may move a lot.

What are some civic attitudes and political interests?

Apathy, alienation, civic duty, and political interest.

Apathy:

A lack of concern in politics.

Alienation:

A feeling of powerlessness rooted in the belief that government ignores one’s interests.

• Usually more prevalent among lower-income citizens.

Civic duty:

A sense that one ought to participate in public affairs.

• May be stronger if you’re in a group that had to fight for the right to vote. Sometimes influenced by parents

Political interest:

Stems largely from partisanship; and party identifiers vote at a higher rate.

• Individuals become more invested in their party’s success.

What is the most widespread form of political participation?

Voting

• Limited, in that citizens have the opportunity only at a particular time and only for the choices on the ballot.

What are other forms of political participation?

Campaigning and lobbying, “virtual” participation, and community activities.

Who has the most campaign participation?

America

• Campaign season is longer and federal system has more elections.

Are American campaigns largely candidate centered and do they have more elections?

Yes, while Europe has a unitary system and thus they don’t have elected state officials.

Virtual Particpation:

Involves contact with friends, acquaintances, and activists.

• Peaks during persidential campaigns and outstrips conventional participation. Including internet fundraising.

What are community activities often called?

Social Captial: Face-to-face interactions between people that contribute to a sense of community and foster civic cooperation.

What are the forms of social capital/community activities?

Community groups where they work to achieve community goals and contact local officials.

What do community activities/social capital come in the form of?

Parent-teacher associations, neighborhood groups, business clubs, and church-affiliated groups.

Americans’ community involvement is substantially higher than Europeans’ and what factors are at play?

Often times religion is one component.

• Many opportunities to get involved in local government; 25% of American adults participate.

What is one obstacle to participation in community activities/social capital?

Chief obstacle to participation is motivation.

• Particularly when it involves a major commitment.

When was protest the most common?

Protest was common in the pre-democratic era.

What does protest do for the citizens?

Serve as a way for citizens disenchanted with government policy to actively express their oppositon.

• Citizens give the government power. However, it can also be used to govern for selfish purposes.

Where do protests usually take place?

Largely outside established political institutions.

• Civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s.

What are the most recent protest movements?

Tea Party Movement, Occupy Wall Street(OWS), Black Lives Matter(BLM), #MeToo, and Gun Violence

The Tea Party Movement:

Advocates called for sharp reductions in federal spending and voicing opposition to taxes.

• Came to public’s attention on April 15, 2009.

Occupy Wall Street(OWS):

Against a bailout of the financial industry and the government’s failure to hold bankers accountable in the 2008 financial crisis.

• Target was private wealth; aimed to curb the political influence of large political donors.

Black Lives Matter(BLM):

Sparked by the killing of young Black men by police officers in several cities.

• How white and Black citizens are treated by both law enforcement and local governments.

#MeToo:

Showed the extent to which women are subjected to sexual assault and harassment.

• Contributed to the firing or resignation of a large number of powerful men.

Gun Violence:

Had a relatively low profile until the 2018 mass killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida/Parkland.

• Aims for the enactment of tougher gun control measures.

What is one thing that the gun violence movement wants?

Rigorous background checks on gun buyers and a ban on military-style assault rifles.

• In some states this has been implemented.

What has been the most successful movement to date?

The Tea Party Movement, becoming a force in the Republican Party.

• Occupy Wall Street protesters rejected the idea of developing institutional links.

Were encampents disbanded and were there no orginizations for Occupy Wall Street?

Yes, they rejected the idea of developing institutional links.

What diminishes political participation in the U.S.?

Individualism

• Most except their problems to solve problems on their own rather than take action.

Who’re among the least likely to vote or participate politically?

Lower-income Americans

• Due to lack of resources, lower education levels, less access to transport, and housing are factors.