government 2305-711
yleal
Chapter8LectureWeThePeople3.docxForms of Political Participation
1. Political participation refers to a wide range of activities designed to influence government. Political participation can fall into two major categories: traditional political participation and online digital political participation
2. Common forms of traditional political participation are voting, protest, and volunteering or fund-raising for a campaign
3. Throughout American history, there has been a progressive, if uneven, expansion of suffrage to groups previously denied suffrage, such as African Americans, women, and youths
4. Though the United States now has a system of universal suffrage, voter turnout continues to be low
5. Digital political participation influences government by using the internet, including mobilizing support through email, visiting candidate websites, and campaigning on social networking sites, and signing online petitions
6. By 2016, virtually every serious candidate for higher office has social media accounts to reach supporters, who in turn can signal amplify the candidate's message to their own friends and followers
7. Research suggests that digital politics does have an impact on participation, and new forms, like expressive politics, such as the sharing of hashtags and symbolic profile pictures
8. The 2016 election showed some of the dark side of digital politics, with allegations of Russian attempts to motivate Trump supporters and suppress Clinton supports through fake news, propaganda, and other social media manipulation.
9. Digital participation reproduces some of the inequalities of offline life, but candidates have found campaigning online extremely attractive because it is cost-effective and reaches a wide audience
Who Participates?
1. Americans with a high socioeconomic status are much more likely to participate in politics than those with less education and less income
2. One of the most significant patterns in political participation is that older people have much higher rates of participation than young people
3. Several strategies of mobilization emerged to guide African Americans' quest for equality in the twentieth century, including protest, legal action, and political pressure. But the question remains whether political participation can improve the lives of African Americans, especially the poor
4. Latinos, the largest minority in the United States, have relatively low levels of political participation, partially due to a low naturalization rate. In many years, Latino political organizations have attempted to tap this "sleeping giant" of political influence
5. The diversity of national backgrounds among Asian Americans has impeded the development of group-based political power
6. The ongoing significance of gender issues in American politics are best exemplified by the gender gap and the increase in the number of women holding public office
7. Some of today's most divisive political conflicts hinge on differing religious and moral beliefs, and religious conservatives have played an important role in mobilizing voter support
Political Environment and Voter Mobilization
1. One critical aspect of political environments is whether people are mobilized by parties, candidates, interest groups, or social movements. People are much more likely to participate when someone, especially someone they know, asks them to get involved
2. In recent decades, political parties have shifted toward fund-raising and advertising and away from mobilization. However, beginning with the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama's expansion of the electorate through mobilization became a central campaign strategy
3. Ballot measures and competitive elections, which result in active campaigns and more information, lead to higher voter turnout
State Electoral Laws and Participation
1. Voter identification requirements of various strictness can also be an impediment to voting for some, with research suggesting it reduces overall turnout
2. State electoral laws regarding registration requirements, restrictions for people who have committed a felony, permanent absentee ballots, same-day registration, and early voting can affect participation
Political Participation: What Do We Want?
1. For much of the twentieth century, the electoral system failed to mobilize an active citizenry, giving rise to an uneven pattern of political participation at odds with American values of liberty, equality, and democracy
2. One of the most important factors in sustaining participation is a sense of political efficacy
3. Would greater participation, brought about through reforms to electoral law, improve American society and politics
Applying the text to the Real World
Currently there is a push to change how American's can access voting without leaving their homes during this pandemic. Monday, April 6, 2020, The US Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote refusing to extend the deadline for absentee ballots in Wisconsin during the Covid-19 Pandemic. April 7, 2020 (Today) is the date of the primary election in Wisconsin. Milwaukee, the largest city in the state ordinarily has 180 polling sites. Due to Covid 19, the city has less than a half dozen polling places. Yes, a city with a population of over 600,000 people has only 5 polling places.
Considering this virus, the constitutionality of the right to vote and the necessity for social distancing... Write an essay (7 paragraphs) discussing the impact of the pandemic on elections and the way it may further effect democracy as we know it and the future of the Republic. Your essay must explore the issues and impact currently and potential issues and impacts of the Court's decision in future elections.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/politics/supreme-court-voting-wisconsin-virus.html
