POLS 207 Chpt 6 Reading Notes 10 13 2014 Participation opportunities Seeking public office o Safety valve Voting for those with the same ideas as you o Assassinations Attending public meetings o Rarely does anyone do this Communicating with Representatives o 3 in 10 Direct Democracy o Referendum o Initiative Allows citizens to approve or disapprove proposals Allows citizens to enact a proposal of a new law that is on the ballot by collecting signatures o Less voters less like the general public Indirect Democracy o Voting for offices Making a choice at the Polls Rational Activist Model Goals o Active Involvement o Being Informed o Rationally supporting the candidate Turnout in various elections Not everyone votes thus majority not fair assessment 72 of eligible register Who can vote o Citizen of US and resident of State o Not felons 1 3 million ineligible Why do Americans vote less Party group Linkages o Lack of them Voter Registration o Discourage participation o No registration deadline 5 13 higher turnout No penalty for not voting o Citations Exhausted voters o Go to the polls too many times Encouraging turnout Convenience voting o Vote in much easier ways Cumulative votes o Give all your votes to one person Discouraging turnout Photo ID laws Poll Tax White Primary o Blacks only voted in general elections Literacy tests Texas Constitution test Non partisan elections Candidates political parties not listed 10 13 2014 10 13 2014
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