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Chapter 7

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Voter ParticipationExpansion of the vote

Initially only white property-owning men could voteBy the 1840s most property restrictions were removedFifteenth Amendment (1870) gave African Americans the right

to voteSuppressed by literacy laws and other methodsVoting rights not fully available until the 1960s

Women received the vote in 1920 via the Twentieth AmendmentEighteen-year-olds received the vote in 1971 via the Twenty-

Sixth Amendment

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Voter ParticipationFactors in voter turnout: the United States in comparative

perspectiveSignificantly lower turnout than in European democraciesRegistration requirements

Historically a means to limit suffrageDetermined by statesMotor voter law

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Voter ParticipationFactors in voter turnout: the United States in comparative

perspectiveRegistration requirements

Voter ID cards serve to depress voter turnoutGeorgia photo ID/voter identification card law

Federal judge struck down monetary requirementSupreme Court upheld Indiana voter ID card requirement

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Voter ParticipationFactors in voter turnout: the United States in comparative

perspectiveFrequency of elections

Elections at many levels of government, frequent and staggered

Primary electionsAmericans asked to vote two or three times as often as

Europeans

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Voter ParticipationWhy some Americans vote and others do not

Education and incomeAgeCivic attitudes

ApathyAlienationCivic duty

Political interest and party identification

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Conventional Forms of Participation Other Than Voting

Campaign and lobbying activitiesVirtual participation

Political campaigns and citizen mobilizationDemocratizing effects, but also lend themselves to political

polarizationCommunity activities

Decline in social capital?

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Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics

Protest more common in the predemocratic eraSocial and political movements use conventional forms of

political participation: lobbying, voting, writing lettersThey also can use unconventional means: protestsCivil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960sVietnam War protests in the 1960s and 1970s

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Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics

The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street protest movementsEach social (political) movement started with anger at

established interestsTea Party:

Initial target: Republican lawmakers for the 2008 bank bailout

Played a key role in Republican takeover of House in 2010

Resulting House turmoil has weakened popular support

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Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics

The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street protest movementsOccupy Wall Street:

Began as protest against bailout of the financial industry and government’s failure to hold bankers accountable

Has seen popular support decline because of public’s unease with protesters confronting police

OWS’s target was private wealth and it aimed to curb the political influence of large political donors

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Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics

The public’s response to protest activityPolitical protests have a long history in AmericaAmericans less likely to protest than citizens in other

democraciesPublic support for protest activity relatively low

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Participation and Potential for Influence

Individualism diminishes political participationLower-income Americans least likely to vote or

participate politically; lack resources and education levelsParticipation reflects socioeconomic level