Chapter 4Citizen Participation and Elections

ParticipationElectionsDirect DemocracyCitizen Access to GovernmentThe Effects of Citizen Participation

Participation

Democracy assumes participation of citizens. That is, actions through which citizens in a political system attempt to influence outcomes.

Each of the participatory decision that citizens make affects public policy options in a community.

In a representative democracy, voting is the most common form of participation. Citizens actions can be either active or passive, constructive or destructive.

Possible Responses to Dissatisfaction in the Community

The Struggle for the Right to Vote

The Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 extended the right to vote to black citizens, but some southern states continued to deny them their rights.

Voting Right Act of 1965 - the law that effectively enfranchised racial minorities by giving the national government the power to decide whether individuals are qualified to vote and to intercede in state and local electoral operations when necessary. This ended voter segregation.

Voting Patterns

Voter turnout is affected by a number of factors.

A presidential race normally attracts more voters than a state or local government election.

States with moralistic political cultures typically experience higher voter turnout than states with traditionalistic political cultures.

Voter interest increases when candidates take distinct ideological stances and define themselves with a particular political party.

State Voter Turnout, 2004

Elections

Primary Systems - the electoral mechanism for selecting party nominees to compete in the general election.

Closed Primary – a primary in which only voters registered in the party are allowed to participate.

Open Primary - voters decide which party’s primary they will participate in.

Blanket Primary - a primary in which a voter can choose from among candidates of both parties on a single ballot. This is no longer a viable primary option.

Nonpartisan Election

A nonpartisan election is one without party labels. The removal of political party identification is done to depoliticize the electoral campaign.

Some community jobs considered to be nonideological and therefore not in need of partisan interpretations are judgeships and jobs providing public services in local government.

Slating Groups- Nonpartisan political organizations that endorse and promote a slate of candidates.

Direct Democracy

Popular Referendum- A special type of referendum whereby citizens can petition to note on actions taken by legislative bodies.

Referendum- A procedure whereby a governing body submits proposed laws, constitutional, amendments, or bond issues to the voters for ratification.

Recall- A procedure that allows citizens to vote elected officials out of office before their term has expired.

Citizen Access to Government

Governments have taken steps to make government more accessible and accountable to the public.

Open Meeting Laws are statutes that open the meetings of government bodies to the public.

Administrative procedure acts require public notice of proposed rules and an opportunity for citizens to comment on the proposals.

Advisory Committees

An advisory committee is an organization created by government to involve members of the public in studying and recommending solutions to public problems.

A focus group is a small group of individuals assembled to provide opinion and feedback about specific issues in government. Participants are often paid for their time.

The Effects Of Citizen Participation

Citizen participation can be active or passive, constructive or destructive. Local governments encourage their citizens to actively and constructively participate.

Public policy tends to reflect the interests of active citizens who choose to use their voices and become involved in local government.

Civic Culture and Government Performance