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PoliticalScienceInteractive
Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 8 Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting

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Recent Concerns about Voting

Florida 2000
Contested ballots Outdated voting machines Lingering perceptions of partisanship

Help America Vote Act 2002 Ohio 2004

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What is Public Opinion?

Public Opinion

The distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

The proper wording and phrasing of the questions are vitally important to producing reliable, objective data
Appropriate language and vocabulary Neutral wording Open-ended versus closed-ended
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The Way You Ask the Question Matters

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What is Public Opinion?

Intensity

Latency Salience
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Differing Opinions on Gay Marriage

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How Do We Get Our Political Opinions and Values?

Political Socialization
The process, most notably in families and schools, by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs

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Agents of Socialization
Family Schools

Media
Selective exposure: Choosing the media with which one agrees

Religion
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Stability and Change in Public Opinion

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Public Opinion and Public Policy

What I want is to get done what the people desire to be done, and the question for me is how to find that out exactly. - Abraham Lincoln

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Awareness and Interest

Knowledge Levels Politics is not the major interest of most Americans, and as a result, knowledge about the political system is limited
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Participation: Translating Opinions into Action

Only a small percentage of the American people are actively engaged in the political process, yet they receive most of the media attention

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Voting
In an effort to make registration easier, states have made registration forms available at motor vehicle stations, schools, public buildings, and even highway tollbooths

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Voting
Voter registration: A system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency
-Reduces voter turnout -Instituted in the U.S. only in the late 1800s -Most other democracies have automatic registration -Recent reforms - Motor Voter bill (1993)
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Turnout

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Voter Turnout in Western Democracies

Average Turnout 1991-2000

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Why People Dont Vote

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Who Votes?
Race and ethnicity Gender Age

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Mobilization
Mobilizing the base (most loyal supporters) Mobilizing swing voters Canvassing

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How Serious is Nonvoting?

A huge army of nonvoters hangs over the democratic process like a bomb ready to explode and change the course of history. -Arthur Hadley Im not going to shed any crocodile tears if people dont care enough to vote.Id be extremely happy if nobody in the United States voted except for the people who thought about the issues and made up their own minds and wanted to vote. - the late Senator Sam Ervin
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How Serious is Nonvoting?

Concerns about class bias Negative effect on Democratic candidates May indicate approval of the status quo

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Voting on the Basis of Party

Party Identification

An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood
In the absence of reasons to vote otherwise, people depend on party identification to simplify their voting choices Dramatic increase in self-declared Independents since 1970s
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Voting on the Basis of Candidates

Candidate Appeal

How voters feel about a candidates background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities
1980s mark a critical threshold in the emergence of a candidate-centered era
Increasingly, campaigns focus on the negative elements of candidates history and personality
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Voting on the Basis of Issues

Prospective Issue Voting Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected Retrospective Issue Voting Holding incumbents responsible for past performance on issues

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Counting Votes
Until the 2000 election, Americans took the counting of ballots for granted Election officials must make judgment calls on incomplete/flawed ballots Poll workers (regular people from the neighborhood) influence the security, efficiency, and overall environment of polling locations
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Essential Questions
In a short essay, identify and describe two major groups that influence the formation of individuals political opinions and values. Which has had a greater influence in your life? (p. 212-214) In a short essay, explain which is more common, prospective issue voting or retrospective voting, and why. (p. 231) In a short essay, explain why politicians pay attention to public opinion and the public policy implications of their interest. (p. 214-216)

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