Political participation refers to activities citizens engage in to influence government actions or policymaking, either directly or indirectly. This can include voting, contacting officials, campaign volunteering, protesting, or running for office. According to studies, most common forms of participation in the US include watching campaigns on TV, voting, and trying to influence others' votes. Over time, voting rights have expanded from only white, male landowners to include all races, both sexes, and younger citizens due to abolition, women's suffrage, and civil rights movements challenging discriminatory policies. Today, states have little power to restrict suffrage.

1. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
RATIH HERNINGTYAS, S.IP, MA

2. What is political
Participation?
“ [political participation] is an activity that has the
intent of effect of influencing government action –
either directly by affecting the making or
implementation of public policy or indirectly by
influencing the selection of people who make
those policies.”
(In the research, “Voice and equality: Civic
Volunteerism in American Politics,”Verba,
S., Schlozman, K.L, & Brady H.E.(1995) )

3. Political Participation
Political Participation is when a citizen engage in activities, with the ultimate goal to
change the government, such as:
Voting
Contacting Political Officials
Volunteering for a Campaign
Participating in a Riot
Also, non-electoral political activity
 lobbying
 public relations
 litigation

4. Political Participation
 Voting in Election
 Campaign Activity
 Community Activity
 Contacting Officials
 Protesting
 Running for Public Office

5. How do people
participate?
According to a University of Michigan study based on the 2000 election,
Americans reported that
82% watched the campaign on television
73% voted in the election
34% tried to influence others how to vote
10% put a sticker on their car or wore a button
9% gave money to help a campaign
5% attended a political meeting
3% worked for a party or candidate

6. VOTING IN ELECTIONS

7. COMMUNITY ACTIVIY

8. CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY

9. PROTESTING

10. RUNNING FOR
PUBLIC OFFICE
 www.hillaryclinton.com
 www.barackobama.co
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11. Expansion of Voting Rights
 In colonial America, only White men who owned land or
a substantial amount of wealth, over the age of 21, were
allowed to vote.
 After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment was to grant
voting rights to Blacks, but Southern states employed
many tactics to disenfranchise African Americans.
 Poll taxes
 Literacy test
 Grandfather Clauses
 The 19th Amendment, enacted on August 26, 1920,
voting rights were extended to women, nationally.
 In 1971, national voting age was lowered from 21 to 18
years old.

12. Forces that Influenced the
Expansion of Voting Rights
The evolution of voting rights has been
shaped by enormous conflicts involving
questions of race, gender, religious identity,
and age.
 Abolitionist movements
 Women’s suffrage movements
 Civil rights movements

13. Class, Inequality, and
Participation

14. Voting Rights: TODAY
 Individual states have very little or no power to regulate suffrage.
 All U.S. native-born or naturalized citizens have the right to vote.
 Convicted felons lose their right to vote, while and sometimes after
being incarcerated.