Political Participation in America

I.    Extension of the Franchise

    A.    Elimination of Religious Requirements

    B.    Elimination of Property Ownership Requirements

    C.    The 15th Amendment

    D.    The 19th Amendment

    E.    Voting Rights Act

    F.    The 26th Amendment

II.    Partisan Identification

    A.    Party Identifiers

    B.    The Gender Gap

III.    Political Awareness & Education:  A Dilemma

    A.    Knowledge of Congressional Party Control (1958-02)

    B.    Formal Education of Populace (1948-02)

IV.    Participation and Voting (Turnout)

    A.    Varieties of Participation

        1.    Conventional v. Unconventional

        2.    Hierarchy of Participation

    B.    Individual Motivation

            a.     material benefits and costs

            b.     intrinsic reasons

    C.    Reasons for Not Voting

    D.    Voter Turnout

        1.    Primaries

        2.    State and Local Elections

        3.    Congressional Elections

        4.    Presidential Elections (2004; Census Summary Data)

    E.   Factors Impacting Voter Turnout

        1.    Socio-Economic Status (education & voting)

        2.    Registration Requirements

        3.    Party Competitiveness

        4.    Election Type

            a.     primary v. general

            b.     executive v. legislative

            c.     national v. local

        5.    Geographic Location of Contest

        6.    Issues in Campaign

        7.    Candidate Appeal

        8.    Weather

        9.    Election Machinery Problems   

    F.  Early Voting:  Issues and Problems

Key Web Sites

American National Election Studies

The NES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior

Federal Election Commission

Voting in America

Links to Elections Sites

Project Vote Smart

Global Voter Turnout

MIT:  Voting Technology Project