POLS 207 Chapter 6

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The Individual in Democratic Government

US is not a pure (direct) democracy: it is a representative democracy

Participation and government is (still) based on geography

Possble Forms of Public Participation

more involvement/participation = more influence = fewer participants

Direct Participation: Seeking Public Office

>300,000 elected offices, only one (president) has national constituency

17 million (7.5%) of adult Americans could potentially run for office, but <1% actually does.

Is running for office "abnormal"? Do only "abnormal" people run for office and therefore misrepresent the public?

Democratic elections may provide safety valve to relieve displeasure of people whose positions on issues aren't supported or ignored by government. If you feel strongly about an issue, you can:

• influence decision directly by seeking and winning public office
• support others and defeat those whose actions you oppose
• protest government policy

Attending Public Meetings

Have less impact (opinion may not even be heard or voiced)

Indirect Participation: Communicating with Representatives

Writing congressional representatives, etc.

Direct Voting: The Public Initiating and Repealing Laws

Initiative and Referendum:

• Citizen-initiated: the citizens put item on ballot
• Legislative: legislature puts item on ballot to let public make decision
• Direct: automatically put on ballot
• Indirect: requires legislative approval

Initiatives require enough signatures by people (generated by people)

Referenda are generated in legislature, but are punted to the people

Supported by 24 states, a majority of which are western.

Ballot items ordered by locality:

1. National
2. State
3. Local
4. Initiatives and Referenda

roll-off: When people vote for top item, but fail to vote for bottom items

Some local legislatures hold non-binding "straw polls" to inspect public opinion.

System can also be abused:

• Passing dumb initiatives
• Initiative "industry" spend a lot of money generating initiatives and influencing public opinion
• may give power to interest groups instead of to people

Initiative has not proven to be a viable form of direct democracy usable in large democracies

Indirect Voting: Elected Offices

Voters support people they agree with and defeat others they do not agree with.

Making a Choice at the Polls

Rational Activist Model

Vote based on rationality

How much agreement between candidate and voter?

Active Involvement: gather info and participating

Being Informed

Rationally supporting candidate who best reflects personal positions

Candidates Interpreting Election Outcomes

Public policy [should] reflect public opinion, so candidates usually know why they've won/lost.

"republican", "democrat", "conservative", "liberal" clue voters into candidate's decision-making patterns on unanticipated issues.

Turnout in Various Elections

Citizens vote, but electoral college makes decision

• 55% turnout for presidential
• 51% turnout for congress (on-year)
• 42% turnout for governors (off-year)
• 39% turnout for congress (off-year)

Trend has been declining recently

Local government has worst turnout

Trends in Turnout

Voter Turnout has been declining since 1972

Why do Americans Vote Less?

1. Party-group linkages: America's linkages are weaker than those of other countries.
2. Registration restrictions: We supposedly have the most restrictive registration procedures of any democracy
   • 26^th Amendment: Voters must be over 18
3. Penalties for failure to vote: We don't have consequences for not voting; consequences might affect quality of vote
4. Exhausted Voter Explanation: Americans who participate at lower levels may be fatigued by the number of times they must go to the polls.

Encouraging Turnout

Convenience Voting Makes voting easier: mail-in / absentee vote

• mail voting
• absentee voting
• election day registration

Cumulative Voting Each voter has "points" to assign to one or more candidates, but makes it easier for minority to overpower majority

Conclusion

Few Americans participate in any way other than voting

As long as voters are unlike non-voters, public policy outcomes are likely to be biased when turnout is low.

Requirements to Vote in US

26^th Amendment: States must allow citizens 18+ years old to vote.

Some states allowed non-citizens to vote after declaring intention to become citizens.

(Supposedly) Today, all states require that an individual be a citizen and resident of US to register to vote, and Registration is required in all states but ND.

Laws Affecting Vote

Regulations such as voting buildings, ballots, who and what are allowed by polls, and how ballots are marked or laid out

Ballot Styles Differ:

• office-block — candidates for each position are grouped
• party-column — candidates of a political party are grouped (aides straight-ticket voters who vote for party)

Selection of Polling Place:

• Visibility
• Central v. obscure location

Nonpartisan Elections

nonpartisan elections do not list candidate's party on the ballot or in campaigning

Voting Requirements in the Past

General pattern over time has been to reduce requirements

Old restrictions:

• higher age
• white and free citizen
• owned property
• females excluded
• poll tax
• literacy tests
• understanding state constitution
• living in a state for a certain amount of time (duration of residency)

Studies of Voting beginning in 1940

Sampling of data for research; and like all human samples, sometimes can't be trusted, sometimes isn't truly random/representative of population

• Many people are also misinformed.
• Polling is not a good way to determine policy.
• Party affiliation may sway quickly (sign of undecidedness)

Danger: cooperating survey participants might differ from non-cooperating non-participants

Americans Voting for President

• Partisan loyalty: willingness/commitment to vote for a party

People in mid 1900s felt they had little to gain or lose, so didn't devote time, so voted for their party identification.

Party Identification Across the United States

Apparently the author thinks democrats are everywhere, then (in his own words), "why . . . did the Democrats win only six of the 16 presidential elections [in the last 60 years]?"

They claim the south, east, and west coasts are democratic "strongholds"

Voting issues

screw this book!

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Incumbent advantage: the candidate up for reelection has an advantage over someone else who is new:

• familiarity
• "job well done" reward
• gerrymandering (to "ensure reelection")