6a

Chapter 6A: Voting Participation

Learning Objectives (Part 1)

  1. Characterization of Political Participation in the U.S.

    • Range of Participation Types

      • Most frequent types: Voting, discussing politics, joining civic organizations.

      • Least frequent types: Initiating/repealing laws, seeking public office.

  2. Focus of Political Scientists

    • Often focus on voting due to its significant role in theories of democracy, consistency across elections, and rich data availability.

  3. Referendum vs. Initiative

    • Definitions:

      • Refendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

      • Initiative: A process that allows citizens to propose legislation or constitutional amendments.

    • Pros and Cons:

      • Pros: Increases citizen involvement, can bypass slow legislative processes.

      • Cons: Potential for misinformation, legislative burden, possible dominance of special interest groups.

    • Perspectives:

      • Conservatives often wary of populism; liberals may advocate for greater citizen control.

  4. Global Voter Turnout

    • Discussion about voter turnout for presidential elections worldwide, highlighting the U.S. position.

    • Rankings: U.S. ranks lower in comparison to other nations.

  5. U.S. National Turnout (1972-2012)

    • Analysis of voter turnout in national elections over decades, both presidential and off-year elections.

    • Differences in turnout rates between gubernatorial, U.S. House elections, and presidential years explained.

  6. Texas Gubernatorial Elections Turnout (1970-2010)

    • Examines turnout based on the winning party compared to average state turnout.

  7. Comparative Measures of Voter Turnout

    • Definitions: %VAP, %VEP, and %Registered

      • %VAP (Voting Age Population): Total ballots cast versus total population aged 18 and over.

      • %VEP (Voting Eligible Population): Total ballots cast versus adults above 18, excluding ineligibles like felons.

      • %Registered: Total ballots cast versus total registered voters.

    • Discussion of size, accuracy, advantages, and disadvantages of each measure.

  8. State Policies on Felon Voting

    • Range of policies varies markedly by state, with some allowing voting while incarcerated and others imposing lifetime bans.

    • Partisan Implications: Discussion of why felon voting is a partisan issue, often dividing along the liberal and conservative lines, influenced by potential voting patterns of felons.

Learning Objectives (Part 2)

  1. Texas Voter Turnout Ranking (1980-2010)

    • Observations of trends in voter turnout within Texas across different election years and underlying reasons for fluctuations.

  2. Confusion in Voter Turnout Measurements

    • Emphasizes how various definitions and measures can lead to misinterpretation of turnout statistics.

  3. Texas Voter Turnout in Amendment Elections (1993-2011)

    • Pattern identification between voter turnout and approval rates, emphasizing the correlation.

  4. Influential Factors in Voter Participation

    • Who votes and why: Key factors include socioeconomic status, party competitiveness, political culture, legal gatekeeping, and election burnout.

  5. Complex Relationships of Turnout Influences

    • Exploration of how expected influence factors do not consistently produce the desired turnout outcomes, arguing for increased voter engagement.

  6. Democratic Theory vs. Turnout Outcomes

    • Discussions on discrepancies between democratic expectations and actual turnout, advocating for enhanced citizen participation.

Forms of Individual, Voluntary Political Participation

  • Types of Participation:

    • Voting

    • Discussing Politics

    • Joining Civic/Political Organizations

    • Attending Public Meetings

    • Communicating with Representatives

    • Contributing Resources

    • Campaigning

    • Initiating and Repealing Laws (in some states)

    • Seeking Public Office

Frequency of Participation Types**

  • Key Statistics:

    • 50% - Voting

    • 35% - Talking about Politics

    • 33% - Joining Civic/Political Organizations

    • 25% - Attending Public Meetings

    • 20% - Communicating with Representatives

    • 13% - Contributing Resources

    • 5% - Campaigning

    • <5% - Initiating and Repealing Laws

    • <1% - Seeking Public Office

Singular Focus on Voting**

  • Voting is highlighted as the most significant form of participation. The volume of existing data regarding voter engagement makes it an ideal focus for political scientists.

Referendum and Initiative Explained**

  • State-Specific Rules on Referenda::

    • Mandatory referendums for certain types of laws, all but one state require constitutional amendments to be put to a vote.

    • Many states allow optional legislative referendums where lawmakers can delegate decision-making to the electorate.

Current Events on Voting and Infrastructure**

  • Example of Texas legislative decisions regarding water infrastructure affecting voter decisions and recent polls expressing public support and potential for upcoming referendums.

Texas 2013 Referendum on Water**

  • Proposition 6: Constitutional amendment to create State Water Implementation Funds, highlighting turnout statistics for approval vs rejection at the polls.

Initiative Dynamics**

  • Explanation of citizen initiatives: citizens can propose legislation independent of legislative approval. Notably, Texas does not permit such initiatives.

Participation Behavior Insights**

  • Analysis suggests that regular elections drive participation. Acknowledging that active participation tends not to represent the broader population.

Global Comparisons in Voter Turnout (2010-2013)**

  • Ranked list of countries with turnout percentages, demonstrating the U.S. position relatively lower than many global peers.

U.S. National Turnout Trends (1972-2012)**

  • Graph outlining historical turnout trends across various election types.

Texas Governor’s Elections Turnout (1970-2010)**

  • Analysis and comparison of voter turnout percentages across gubernatorial elections and how they relate to national averages.

Variable Measures: VAP and VEP**

  • Comparative analysis of Voting Age Population versus Voting Eligible Population; evaluation of denominators leading to varied turnout percentages.

Felon Voting Laws**

  • Summary of state laws on felon voting rights, detailing categories from restrictive to permissive, emphasizing legal variances by state.

Why Felon Ineligibility?**

  • Discussion of philosophical and practical reasons behind denying voting rights to felons, with implications for representation.

Recent Reform Movements**

  • Examination of 2016 efforts in Virginia to restore voting rights to felons amidst broader national discussions on criminal justice reform.

Texas Electoral Turnout Trends**

  • Statistical analysis of voter turnout metrics in Texas elections, examining participation rates through various lenses in comparison to national trends.

Consequences of Misleading Turnout Data**

  • Importance of being cautious regarding turnout statistics, as disparate methodologies can skew perceptions of citizen engagement.