• Electoral Participation• Voting• Campaigning• getting people to go out and actually vote• Non-Electoral• Lobbying• trying to persuade a politician/congress to vote a certain way• power goes with how much money your group has• Public Relations• You go to the people or and get public support to get congress to do it• Litigation• get the courts to decide• health care law• Protesting• mass sit-ins, Rallyes, etc.• they don't have very much impact• can be ignored easily• The Voting Paradox• Voting is IMPORTANT• civic duty• key to popular control• essence of democracy • Many tend not to vote• 70-75% of voting population is registered• about 50% vote in Presidential Elections• Less than 50% in Midterm Elections (Congress)• Excuses for NOT voting• vote doesn't count• no real choice between the candidates• don't care about politics• no time to vote• not registered• bad weather• Is voting rational?• rationality= cost vs. benefits• voting=irrational• costs are too high• COSTS• time• registration• voting• research on candidates• Benefits are low• does my vote count?• single US voter has little impact• impact of a single vote depends on several factors• closeness of level of office• competitiveness of the electoral race• voting as an individual or collective bloc.• Type of voting• single vote vs. proportional vote• Presidential Vote• value of vote depends on size of state, turnout, and swing state status• Why do people vote?• sense of duty in democratic society• elected officials act in your name• principal-agent relationship• pressure from group membership• STICKER• Institutional effects on Voting• rules and setup of elections impact voting• increase suffrage• 18 yr olds get to vote• repeal the chinese exclusion act• minority men can vote• you could only vote if you own a profit business• you had to be a good standing at the church• Ease registration• motor voter act• when you register your car you can register to vote• same day registration• go to register the same day• Early Voting• so if you're busy you still can go• Negative Effects from institutions• too frequent elections• general vs. primary• federalism- Multiple layers=multiple elections• too long of ballots• national, state, county, municipal, judicial, initiatives, and referendums• election laws• intended to restrict voting by certain group• poll taxes, literacy tests• removed, to keep away minorities• voter ID Laws• you must have a government issued ID• Voter Fraud vs. Voter Disenfranchisement• Fraud-- people fake who they are so that they can't use someone else vote• Disenfranchisement-- someone getting a fake ID to vote for you• Election Day-- Not a federal holiday• Turnout Around the World• Other democracies have much higher turnout• Australia, 90% turnout• Compulsory Voting• fines• public reprimand• New Forms of participation• Decline of voting has coincided with a rise in alternative forms of participation• Checkbook Democracy• donate money to the candidate program• Protesting• not must impact in national interest• Who participates?• Age divide• other individuals have higher turnout coma red to younger voters• Gender Gap• women and men hold different parisan identification• Racial Divide• core constituents• sleeping giants-- untapped voting populations• socieconomic statues• Higher education=higher participation• civic engagement• Participation in social and political organization• local and community govt• interest and social groups• major decline in civic engagement in the US• Reason for Decline• Declining civil society in America• Bowling Alone• Effects of a decline in Civic Engagement• Decline in SOCIAL TRUST• Decline in trust of govt• New forms of engagement: Social Media• Not the same benefit as traditional forms of social engagement• Compare Political Movements• Occupy Wall Street• Primary Concern:• corporate poet within politics• we are the 99%• Methods of participation• protest and sit-ins• Political successes• early attention, but Minimal impact on policies and elections• The Tea Party• Primary COncern:• size of Fed. govt. and US debt• T.E.A-- taxed enough already• Methods of participation• protest and electoral campaigning• Political success• significant victories in certain elections and federal policies• difference in success• demographics• occupy:very diverse but mostly young• tea party: less divers, old membership• organization• O: No strong organization• TP: highly organized (local and national)• political ties• O: no electoral involvement or party affiliation• TP: strong electoral involvement, affiliated with republican party• MOBILIZATION-- key to voting participation• encouraging people to vote• NAACP-- race•• AARP--
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