POLS 1101 Lecture 19Outline of Last Lecture I. Participation and Democratic PoliticsII. Paradox of VotingIII. Costs of VotingIV. Mitigating Costs of VotingV. Costs of ParticipationOutline of Current Lecture I. Voting RightsII. Removing Voting BarriersIII. Groups and Voting RightsIV. Turnout TrendsV. Participation RatesVI. MobilizationCurrent Lecture: Patterns in ParticipationI. Voting Rights- The franchise, or right to vote, has gradually expanded throughout the nation’s history- In the U.S. registration is handled by states, with federal guidelines on eligibility- Most democracies now allow citizens over the age of 18 to vote- States can use mental capacity and criminal records to limit voting rights- Poll taxes and literacy tests were used by many southern states to limit African American voting rights- Reforms:o Civil Rights Act of 1964 (literacy tests)o Twenty-Fourth Amendment (poll tax)o Voting Rights Act of 1965 (federal registrars)II. Removing Voting Barriers- Most white men could vote by 1840- 15th Amendment granted African Americans voting rights in 1870- 19th Amendment guaranteed women’s suffrage in 1920- 26th Amendment granted voting rights to 18-21 year olds in 1971III. Groups and Voting Rights- Most suffrage extensions have come in the wake of activism by groups seeking voting rightsa. Women’s suffrage movementb. LUV—Let Us Votec. Civil rights movementIV. Turnout Trends• Steep drop in turnout through much of 20th century• Decline in voter mobilization efforts• New groups eligible• Turnout has increased in recent elections– Increased mobilization efforts– Close electionsV. Participation Rates- Socioeconomic status is strongly correlated with voting and other forms of participation- Education is number one predictor of turnout in the U.S.a. Highest education levels twice as likely to vote as lowest education levelsVI. Mobilization: when somebody actively invites you, personally, to a campaign or to vote or a party for their campaign- Mobilization can help explain many trends- Educated need less mobilizing- Educated are easier to reach for mobilization- Unions and other groups that target less educated have declined in past
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