AP Government: Political Participation and Voting
Voter behavior, turnout, rights, and forms of civic action
AP Government: Political Participation and Voting
Voter behavior, turnout, rights, and forms of civic action
Social Studies - Grade 9-12
- 1
Define political participation and give two examples of political participation in the United States.
Think about actions people take to shape government decisions.
Political participation is any activity citizens use to influence government or public policy. Examples include voting in an election and contacting an elected official about an issue. - 2
Classify each action as conventional participation or unconventional participation: voting in a presidential election, attending a peaceful protest, donating to a campaign, and participating in a boycott. Explain your classifications.
Voting and donating to a campaign are conventional forms of participation because they use regular, institutional political channels. Attending a peaceful protest and participating in a boycott are usually considered unconventional because they take place outside formal election and government processes, even though they are legal forms of civic action. - 3
In a city election, 84,000 people are eligible to vote, 52,000 are registered, and 31,200 cast ballots. Calculate turnout as a percentage of registered voters and as a percentage of eligible voters.
Divide the number of ballots cast by the group you are using as the base.
Turnout among registered voters is 60 percent because 31,200 divided by 52,000 equals 0.60. Turnout among eligible voters is about 37.1 percent because 31,200 divided by 84,000 equals about 0.371. - 4
A chart shows voter turnout by age group: ages 18-29 at 46 percent, ages 30-44 at 58 percent, ages 45-64 at 67 percent, and ages 65 and older at 72 percent. Identify the trend and explain one reason this trend matters in elections.
Look for the direction of change from the youngest group to the oldest group.
The chart shows that voter turnout increases as age increases. This matters because elected officials may give more attention to the preferences of older voters if older voters participate at higher rates than younger voters. - 5
Explain how the Twenty-Sixth Amendment affected political participation in the United States.
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state, and local elections. It expanded the electorate by giving younger citizens the right to vote. - 6
Explain the main purpose of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and identify one practice it targeted.
Connect the law to barriers that limited access to the ballot.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to protect voting rights and enforce the Fifteenth Amendment. It targeted discriminatory practices such as literacy tests that had been used to prevent many African American citizens from voting. - 7
Describe how voter registration requirements can affect turnout. Include one example of a policy that may increase turnout.
Voter registration requirements can lower turnout if the process is difficult, confusing, or requires voters to meet early deadlines. Policies such as same-day registration, online registration, or automatic voter registration may increase turnout by making it easier for eligible citizens to register. - 8
Use the rational choice model of voting to explain why some citizens choose not to vote.
Compare the costs of participation with the expected benefits.
The rational choice model suggests that some citizens do not vote because they believe the costs of voting, such as time, effort, or lack of information, are greater than the expected benefits. Because one vote is unlikely to decide most elections, some people may decide that voting is not worth the cost. - 9
Explain the difference between retrospective voting and prospective voting. Give one example of each.
Retrospective voting means choosing a candidate based on past performance, such as supporting an incumbent because the economy improved during that official's term. Prospective voting means choosing a candidate based on future promises, such as supporting a candidate who proposes a tax plan the voter likes. - 10
A survey asks voters whether they believe they understand politics and whether they believe government officials respond to people like them. Identify which question measures internal political efficacy and which measures external political efficacy.
Internal efficacy is about personal ability. External efficacy is about government responsiveness.
The question about whether voters believe they understand politics measures internal political efficacy. The question about whether voters believe government officials respond to people like them measures external political efficacy. - 11
A state passes a strict photo voter ID law. Identify one argument supporters might make and one argument opponents might make.
Supporters might argue that a strict photo voter ID law helps prevent fraud and increases public confidence in elections. Opponents might argue that it can reduce turnout by creating barriers for eligible voters who lack acceptable identification. - 12
Compare primaries and caucuses as methods of selecting party nominees.
Focus on how voters participate in each process.
Primaries are elections in which voters cast ballots for candidates seeking a party nomination. Caucuses are local party meetings where participants discuss candidates and select delegates or express preferences. Primaries usually require less time from voters, while caucuses often require more active participation. - 13
A campaign sends text reminders, knocks on doors, and offers information about polling places. Explain how these activities could affect voter turnout.
These activities are examples of get-out-the-vote efforts. They can increase turnout by reminding supporters to vote, reducing information costs, and helping voters know when and where to cast a ballot. - 14
A map shows that presidential campaigns spend most of their advertising money in a small number of competitive swing states. Explain how the Electoral College can influence political participation in this way.
Campaigns often invest resources where those resources are most likely to change the result.
The Electoral College encourages campaigns to focus on states where the outcome is uncertain because winning a state can mean winning all or most of its electoral votes. Voters in competitive swing states may receive more campaign contact, which can increase their political engagement and turnout. - 15
Write a short AP-style response that identifies one policy that could increase voter turnout, explains how it could increase turnout, and describes one possible criticism of the policy.
Use a claim, evidence, and reasoning structure.
One policy that could increase voter turnout is automatic voter registration. It could increase turnout by adding eligible citizens to the voter rolls when they interact with government agencies, which reduces the effort needed to register. A possible criticism is that states would need strong systems to keep voter rolls accurate and protect personal information.