POLS 207 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Progressive Era, Literacy Test, Military Intelligence
4 Oct 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The different forms of political participation: conventional participation : voting, volunteering, campaigning, running for office, unconventional participation : protests, boycotts, illegal participation : assassination, terrorism, sabotage. The key things that scientists know about participation in politics: There are regular elections and volatile local issues (stimulates greater participation) Participants are not representative of the overall population. Voting is the most common form of participation (the smallest overall impact) Who votes: higher turnouts: elders, able-bodied, higher levels of education, wealthy persons, homeowners, more religious individuals, lower turnouts: young, disabled, lower income, underrepresented minorities. Why one should vote: rational voting: one will vote if the expected benefits of voting exceed the costs of voting b. Intrinsic rewards: civic duty, patriotism, political efficiency, personal satisfaction. What is causing the variation between states: political culture, socioeconomic factors: education, income, race, partisan competition: competitive races fuel turnouts, variation in the state laws: electoral laws.
