Overview

Political participation is the range of activities citizens engage in to influence public policy and leadership. Voting is the most common form, but participation also includes protests, petitions, campaign donations, and more. Understanding voting behavior helps explain how and why citizens engage with the democratic process.

Key Themes and Events

• Forms of Participation: Includes conventional methods (voting, volunteering, donating, petitioning) and unconventional methods (protests, boycotts, civil disobedience). Each reflects levels of political engagement and trust in the system.
• Voting Trends and Turnout: Factors affecting turnout include age, education, income, race, and electoral competitiveness. Presidential elections see higher turnout than midterms or primaries.
• Barriers to Voting: Includes registration requirements, voter ID laws, lack of access, and disenfranchisement. Reforms like same-day registration and vote-by-mail aim to increase participation.
• Political Efficacy: The belief that one’s participation makes a difference. Higher efficacy correlates with greater turnout and civic engagement.
• Realignment and Dealignment: Long-term shifts in party loyalty (realignment) and rising independence from parties (dealignment) affect voting behavior and partisan trends.
• Institutional Influences: Electoral rules such as winner-take-all, gerrymandering, and ballot access laws impact voter behavior and outcomes.

Quick Tip

Be prepared to analyze graphs showing turnout trends by age or income. Know the difference between institutional and personal factors that affect voter behavior. CLEP questions often focus on why turnout varies across groups and elections.