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Chapter7PoliticalParticipationVoting.ppt
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Chapter 7

Political Participation

Chapter Learning Outcomes-
By the time you finish reading this chapter, you will understand the following better

Identify and examine individual and collective actions (such as through voting, political parties, interest groups and social movements) and evaluate issues of public concern. Examine different modes of civic engagement.

Analyze and critique how one's own attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs (political ideologies and political socialization) are shaped by political policies, one's own cultural, ethnic, and racial heritage, socio-economic status, by gender, by age, by sexual orientation. Students will learn from many different people, methods, and viewpoints by being actively involved in a learning community that includes people similar and different than one's self.

Voting

  • Suffrage: the political science term referring to the right to vote
  • Voting is a form of political participation/civic engagement
  • Political participation: involvement in activities intended to influence policy & leadership

Voting

  • At beginning of our country, not all could vote. Women’s suffrage and the Voting Rights Act of 1964 would ensure all citizens the right.

Voting

  • 15th Amendment to Constitution (1870): provided specifically that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on the basis of race, ethnicity, etc.
  • 19th Amendment to Constitution (1920): women’s right to Vote

Voting

  • In reality, most minorities could not vote until the Voters Rights Act of 1965 was passed.
  • Jim Crow laws, Literacy tests, etc.
  • Shelby v. Holder:

(See CNN (2013) Supreme Court limits Voting Rights Act. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf072kjiPrM)

Voter Turnout

  • Not mandated in the United States resulting in low turnout
  • Choice to participate part of American political culture
  • Some countries do require citizens to vote (example: Australia)

Voter Turnout

  • Voter turnout refers to the proportion of adult citizens who actually vote in a given election.
  • Voter turnout is greater in Presidential election years.

Registration

  • Registration began in 1900
  • Motor Voter Law: was signed into effect by United States President Clinton in 1993. This act required state governments to make the voter registration process easier by providing uniform registration services through drivers' license registration centers, disability centers, schools, libraries, and mail-in registration.
  • Must be registered before you can vote
  • New Voter ID laws may make voting harder.

Why Some Vote & Others Don’t

  • Age
  • Socio-economic status
  • Education

Why Vote?

  • Frequency of elections and voter fatigue (US holds more elections than any other nation)
  • Apathy
  • Alienation
  • Two party system

Ways to Participate in Politics

  • Vote!!!
  • Run for office!
  • Campaign Support
  • Lobbying
  • Letter Writing
  • Art & Music

Music Protest

Protest through Art

Pearl Jam Protest President Trump (2018) https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pearl-jam-kill-trump-and-burn-the-white-house-on-concert-poster-711609/

Ways to Participate

  • Community Volunteering and Support
  • Following the news media
  • Surfing and reading the web

Ways to Participate

  • Social movements
  • Protest
  • Utilization of social capital

  • PBS. (2015) Sharing Public Opinion. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NflULVECAFQ&list=PLCSfS5jQi9g5X4MvNkk2i67IqWS-egXef