Chapter 6 Possible Forms of Public Participation Figure 6 1 o Influence is positively related to political participation o Participation rates are negatively related to participation costs More opportunity to shape policy as an elected official than as a voter o The greatest power is in the hands of people who occupy positions of authority Seeking Public Office Increased Impact on Policy Run for Office Protestors Less than 1 Uncertain 3 20 Attend Public Meetings Initiative Ref Direct Democracy 20 50 in western states Vote for Elected Offices Indirect Democracy 10 60 depending on type of election Non Participants Apart from Presidential Elections 60 US has more than 300 000 elected offices to be filled and refilled after two years or so Only one of these elected offices has a national constituency the president sharing the ticket with the VP Only small minority ever seeks to govern less than 1 enter elections Running for elections can be costly o Must fundraise for campaigns lose privacy objects of criticism o Candidates must see benefit beyond gratification for being civically active Local offices filled by nonpartisan elections i e city council school board membership attract more average people leads to more normal personalities If you feel strongly about an issue you can seek to influence the decision directly by seeking and winning public office o Can also support others and defeat those whose actions you oppose Direct forms of participation protest rebellion assassination and insurrection o Protest is considered a freedom of speech Attending Public Meetings Increase in people involved with less direct forms of participation Elected officials often schedule public meetings to assure their reelection by impressing the public that they care about constituents Communication with Representatives Less direct common act is to write to an elected official o 3 10 have claimed to have written Writing to congressional representatives most common Congressional staff members devote considerable time to answering tabulating letters Voting is an aggregate action that is supposed to influence public policy The Public Initiating and Repealing Laws Direct Democracy Most direct form of public involvement allowing the public to make public policy decisions directly o I e New York voting on budgets Under initiatives and referendum procedures advocates seek voter signatures on a petition to place a measure on the ballot Citizen initiated referendums seek to change or repeal existing law Legislative referendums occur when a legislature puts a measure on the ballot o Some are mandatory States with initiative and referendum are usually Western states Qualified direct initiatives are automatically scheduled for popular votes Qualified indirect initiatives require legislative approval before being scheduled for popular votes o TX neither referendum initiative Both initiative and referendum processes start with collecting the signatures of enough registered voters on petitions within a prescribed time approx 3 10 Qualified referendums and direct initiatives are automatically up for popular votes Qualified indirect initiatives require legislative approval before being scheduled for popular votes Two ballot options for and against Majority votes in election passes or repeals law Direct democracy through I R was adopted in the 20th century Roll off many who vote for the top offices on the ballot fail to vote at the bottom of the ballot the declining vote from top to bottom When turnout is low those who vote are less like the general public Nearly all states have public referendum on state constitutional amendments o Approval disapproval follows proposals from state legislatures Straw polls when state and local governments hold non binding advisory votes The initiative has not proven to be a viable form of direct democracy usable in large democracies Voting for Elected Offices Indirect Democracy Voting in elections indirect defeating candidates they disagree with Making a Choice at the Polls o They re affecting policy indirectly by supporting candidates they agree with and Become informed and form one s personal opinion Gather information from the candidates Choose rationally between the candidates Must decide which issues are important Active involvement in gathering information and participating Being informed Rationally supporting the candidate who best reflects one s personal positions Rational Activist Mode l of Democracy standards for voters in a democracy Candidates Interpreting Election Outcomes Public policy reflects public opinion in the easy choice Example 4 page 135 neither candidate took a position on an issue important to you and therefore has no knowledge of what the public prefers cannot except to enact public opinion into public policy Unanticipated Issues If something about the candidate allows predictions as to how that candidate will vote on unanticipated issues and the voter knows it the choice can be made Past votes may predict representative s votes on figure unanticipated issues Or they ll vote consistently with the voter s personal positions Example 5 Turnout in Various Elections American presidents usually receive more votes than any of their opponents and also a majority of the popular vote o Neither is necessary to win the election Number of voters in 2008 presidential election was the largest in history When the president is not on the ballot turnout is typically 15 20 points lower Governors in most states head the ballot in off years The lowest turnout happens at the level of government acclaimed as closest to the people Trends in Turnout Figure 6 4 Turnout in presidential years has increased steadily starting in 2000 Off year elections always have lower turnout but fail to show any smooth trends Decline in 1972 potentially caused by two factors o Surge in non citizens who cannot vote which divides the vote by the voting age population diminishing actual turnout by those who could vote o Many states disenfranchise felons in prison as well as those released but still on probation Underestimation of turnout Why do Americans Vote Less Four factors account for our voting less 1 Lack of party group linkage a Enduring and sharp correspondence between political parties and major b US does not have the sharp class polarization found in other segments of society democracies c 20th century Democrats working class Republicans middle class d If we wanted to strengthen linkage we could
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