Chris Condon AP American Government Block 2 9/7/11 Janda Ch7: Participation and Voting

1. Define the key terms:

political participation- what citizens can do to influence government and politics conventional participation- routine ways of influencing government thru using institutions and such. unconventional participation- uncommon behavior that defies the government and its institutions terrorism- The specific use of violence to affect the government direct action- gathering people to confront businesses and local governments supportive behavior- behavior that supports a government and country influencing behavior- behavior that tries to change the government policies class-action suits- a law suit filed by multiple people from similar circumstances voter turnout- the amount of people who vote in an election suffrage- the right to vote franchise- a right granted to an individual citizen or group progressivism- philosophy of political reform based on the goodness and wisdom of the individual citizen direct primary- a preliminary election run by the state recall- an election to remove officials from office before their turn is over referendum- a direct vote on a proposed law or amendment to the state constitution

initiative- The ability to propose a law by getting enough signatures standard socioeconomic model- the idea that the more wealthy you are, the more likely you are to take part in politics

2. What are the primary forms of political participation encouraged by the majoritarian model and the pluralist model of democracy? Does the observed behavior of citizens in the United States suggest that either model accurately describes U.S. politics? Why or why not? The primary forms of political participation are voting, signing petitions, and using institutions to influence the government. Yes, these actions support the pluralist model of democracy. Citizens are generally apathetic towards politics so special interest groups represent their opinions. Things such as referendums and recalls also support pluralist democracy because it encourages people to come together in groups for a cause. 3. Discuss the legacy of the civil rights movement and how the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed things. The civil rights movement is a great example of using unconventional participation to affect government policies. It proved that unconventional participation can still be beneficial when conventional participation does not work.

4. Explain why people resort to unconventional political participation. Is it ever effective? Give examples to illustrate your answer. People resort to unconventional participation when conventional participation does not

work. It has been effective before. Two examples of unconventional participation were the civil rights movement and the Boston Tea Party. The civil rights movement accomplished the acquiring of equal rights for all citizens. The Boston Tea Party was a statement to Great Britain that disapproved of unfair taxes.

5. Are Americans politically apathetic? What makes you think so, or can you prove that they are not. In either case, what can we do to increase voter turnout? Compared to other counties, they are less apathetic. But they still are apathetic somewhat. One reason I think so is because of the fact that there is a little turnout in voting. Things we could do to increase voter turnout would to make voting day a national holiday. That way, people can make it to polling booths on time.

6. Explain how a persons socioeconomic status, age, education and gender affect her or his political participation.
According to the socioeconomic model, the wealthier you are, the more likely you will be involved in politics. More educated people can understand political events so they will be less likely to ignore politics. Younger people are generally less occupied with politics, so they will not be politically involved as much.