This document discusses various factors that influence voter turnout and participation in the United States. It begins by noting the most common form of participation is voting but that US turnout rates lag other industrialized nations. Potential reasons proposed include that voting is not compulsory, registration laws, and elections being held on weekdays. The document then reviews historical barriers to voting for black Americans and key pieces of voting rights legislation. Additional topics covered include the impact of voter laws, cultural and demographic factors on turnout, and theories regarding how political attitudes and decisions are formed.

1. POL 303
Fall 2017

4.  Most common form of participation is voting.
 How often do people participate?
 To what extent?
 How much information relayed to candidates?

6. VOICE EXIT
LOYALTY NEGLECT
ACTIVE
PASSIVE
CONSTRUCTIVE DESTRUCTIVE

11.  U.S. rates have lagged behind those in
industrialized countries.
 Why might this be the case?
 Answers:
 Voting Not Compulsory
 Registration Laws
 Election Day is Weekday

14. Historical and Constitutional Barriers

17. Whites used several techniques
to disallow Blacks from voting.

18. This amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote.

19. This act prohibited unequal application of voter
registration requirements while banning discrimination
in public places and employment practices.

21. TheVRA eliminated past discriminatory practices,
like literacy tests and grandfather clauses.

23. Current Issue:VoterTurnout

24.  Competitiveness – “Battleground States”
 Voter Laws – Same-Day Registration
 Cultural Factors – Idea of “Dirty” Politics
 Demographic Factors – Mobility Rate

25.  Can “turnout” be operationalized?

30.  Age Older >Younger
 Gender Women > Men
 Income Richer > Poorer
 Education College Degree > HS Graduate
 Race and Ethnicity Mixed Evidence

35. Truman Dewey
Panel Study: Use a sample of the population and ask them
throughout campaign if their views have changed over time.

36. • Our voting decision takes places in a social context.
• Inherit partisanship from family and peers
• Strong pull when similar socio-economic status (SES) and religion
• Impact of political homogeneity
• What about “Cross-Pressured” voters?

39.  Political Socialization
 Party ID
 Political Attitudes
 Voting Decision
 How are attitudes formed?
 Feelings toward the
Democratic and
Republican candidates
 How well each party
manages government
 Group interests (“knows
people like me”)
 Domestic policy issues
 Foreign policy issues

40.  Voting based on past performance
 If you are the incumbent:
 Remember great things?
 “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
 If you are the challenger:
 Remember problems?
 “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

41.  Voting based off of future considerations
 If you are the incumbent:
 Plans for a new term
 What will future look like with challenger?
 If you are the challenger:
 Reject incumbent’s policies
 Vote for change

43.  Based on costs and benefits
 Voting Components:
 Probability ofVote Mattering (“P)
 Benefits ofVoting (“B”)
 Costs ofVoting (“C”)
 “Civic Duty” (“D”)
 Individuals weigh these items
and make their voting decision

44. POCKETBOOKVOTING SOCIOTROPICVOTING
Personal Finances
National Financial Health
(e.g. deficit)

46. Proportion of Sample Proportion ofVoters
Ideologues
2.5 3.5
Near-Ideologues
9 12
Group Interest
42 45
Nature of theTimes
24 22
No Conceptualization
22.5 17.5
Converse (1964). The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.
Table 1. 1956Voters, By Level of Conceptualization

47. Citizens’ political
knowledge hasn’t increased
in the last few decades.

48.  Party ID
 Interpersonal Communications
 The Media
 Idea of “Representativeness”

50. INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
 Rationality
 Registration Laws
 Frequency of Elections
 Two-Party System
NON-INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
 Voting is Habit-Forming
 Cynicism about Govt.
 Political Knowledge
 SES and Demographics
 Campaign Factors

53.  Legal Obstacles
 Attitude Changes
 Voter Mobilization
 Decrease in Social Connectedness
 Generational Changes
 The “Rational Nonvoter”