Participation, Campaigns, and Elections

CHAPTER 09

Copyright © 2021 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Participation,
Campaigns,
and Elections
Political
Participation

 Voting in elections
 Attending campaign events, rallies, and fundraisers
 Contributing money to campaigns
 Contacting elected officials
 Canvassing voters; displaying campaign signs; and
signing political petitions.
 Protests, demonstrations, and strikes
Forms of
Political
Participation
 Suffrage—the right to vote- expanded throughout
American history

Forms of 1870 - Fifteenth Amendment: African American men

(right after Civil War)
Political
1870-1965 - Jim Crow laws prevented them from
Participation: exercising right

Voting 1920 – Nineteenth Amendment – Women

1965 - Voting Rights Act

1971 - Twenty-Sixth Amendment: 18 year- olds

Voting
Digital Political Participation is Surging

 Digital political participation: Most

common way of participating today
 Activities designed to influence politics
using the internet
 Visiting a candidate’s website,
 Organizing events online
 Signing an online petition
 Socioeconomic status: status in society
Voting: based on level of education, income, and
occupational prestige.
Socioeconomic
Status

Individuals more likely to vote:

Higher levels of Higher levels of

education. income.
Voting: Age Older individuals are more
likely to vote than younger
and individuals.
Participation
Decreases in young voter
turnout have implications
for policies
Older Voters
Voters

 Whites tend to vote

Republican; but
education has an
impact
 The Latino vote: “sleeping
Voters: Latinos giant.”

Low levels of political

participation, but high
percentage of the population
 Voting: Asian
Americans

 Asian Americans :
strong political
presence in several
states, such as
California.
 Men vote Republican at a
Voters: Gender higher rate
and
Participation Women vote Democrat at a
higher rate.
• Gender gap runs around 10 points
in presidential elections
Electoral Rules Change Over Time
 Midterm elections: Congressional
elections that do not coincide with a
Elections in presidential election
America
Primary election: Held to select a
party’s candidate for the general election

• Closed primary: voters of the party in which they

are enrolled can participate
• Open primary: voters can wait until the day of the
primary to choose which party to enroll in
 After the primary elections
General and determines who is
Election ultimately elected to office

November
  State electoral laws create formal
barriers to voting

State Electoral Very different voter turnout rates by

Laws state.

Registration requirements vary by

state
Voter ID Laws

 Voter identification
laws require voters to
provide proof of
identity.
 Exist in 36 states
 8 states require a
photo ID
Presidential General Elections – Article 2, Section 2

Electors chosen for the electoral college select the

president.

State party of the winning candidate chooses the people

in the slate of electors.
Number of electors = size of the congressional
delegation (House members plus two senators).
Electors

538 total electors

Winning candidate needs 270 votes.

Texas has 38 electoral votes

Electoral College
Distribution
of Electoral
Votes in the
2020 Election
 Redistricting
 Drawing up electoral
boundaries every 10 years
after the Census
 Gerrymandering: drawing
the lines to favor one
candidate or political
party

 Texas legislature draws

up the lines
America Side
by
Side: Voter
Turnout
in
Comparison
Voter
Registration
Application