DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
AND
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Posc 105
VOTING AND ELECTIONS
- THIS MORNING:
- Film on the media and politics
- Voting and elections
- THE MEDIA AS WATCHDOGS:
- A reassuring image: freedom of the press and American journalism, acting as
watchdogs, preserve liberty by keeping close tabs on power holders.
- An excellent example: film and book "All the President's Men."
- Film today questions this reassuring image.
- ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY - SOME BASICS:
- Elections are the mainspring of "democracy by accountability."
- Instruments for holding representatives accountable
- Educational and motivational functions.
- Elections American style:
- Number of separate choices
- Sheer number of offices to be filled can be overwhelming
- Selection of candidates: the nomination process
- Conventions and caucuses versus primaries
- General elections
- Presidential and "off year" elections
- Recall a major effect of the constitution:
the creation of independent power
centers.
- Members of the White House, House, and
Senate are elected separately.
- Geographical representation
- DISSATISFACTION WITH THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM:
- Three general concerns
- The turnout conundrum:
participation in presidential and off-year
elections has declined during the last 100 years despite improvements in
communications and transportation and rising level of education.
- In 1996 less than half of the eligible electorate bothered to show up
at the polls.
- In 1998 it was less than 40 percent.
-
Click here for a graph.
- Lack of voter interest and knowledge.
- Election practices leave nearly everyone unhappy.
- EXPLAINING THE DECLINE IN TURNOUT:
- First what are the reasons for the decline?
- Individual characteristics (the "Hamilton school"): interest, knowledge,
concern, civic-mindedness, ability to "pay the costs of participation" (i.e.,
social-economic standing).
- Structural factors (the "Jefferson school"): general proposition: political
institutions and practices keep the "cost of participation" too high for many
citizens.
- What are these institutions and practices that
discourage voting?
- Mass media and "quality" information.
- Registration laws
- Campaign practices
- Structure of elections
- Decline of political party grass roots organizations.
- Growing size and complexity of government.
- REGISTRATION AND TURNOUT:
- In order to vote citizens in most states must
register. But specific registration
requirements vary from state to state.
Some make it easier to register than others.
- Proposition: turnout is related to
registration requirements: the "easier," the higher
the turnout; the harder, the lower, other things being equal.
- The politics of motor voter legislation.
- MODERN CAMPAIGN PRACTICES AND TURNOUT:
- Major proposition: despite their growing technical sophistication, modern
campaign techniques actually discourage interest and participation.
- NEXT TIME:
- Voting and elections
- Campaign practices discussed and illustrated with films.
- Reading:
- Patterson, We the People, Chapter 7.
- Read and understand the material on voter turnout, pages 203 to
215.
- How does turnout in this country compare with that in
others?
- How is turnout related to social class?
- In what parts of the country is turnout lowest?
Go to Notes page
Go to American Political System page
Go to H. T. Reynolds page