Political Participation - the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government
Level varies based on education, socio economics, racial and ethnic identity, gender, and age
Voting, working on campaigns, contacting representatives, donaitons
States determine voting laws
Election day isnt a federal holiday, so you have to go after work to vote
Money in Politics
Tillman Act - 1907 federal campaign finance law prohibiting corporations from making direct campaign contributions to candidates for federal office
Federal Election Campaing Act of 1971
Post watergate, limits werep laced on money given to candidates by indivuduals and political action committees (PACs, may donate money directly to a candidates campaign but can be limited)
PACs are formed by all sorts of groups and register with the FEC
1974 - PACs could donate directly to a candidates campaign but were subject to monetary limits.
Soft money loophole - no limits on donations separate from the campaign. PACs and campaigns could not coordinate. Advertisements from PACs could not use the word “vote”
Buckley v Valeo
1976 Supreme Court Case that upheld limits on campaign donations, struck down limits on how much a candidate could spend on his/her own campaign. Money=speech but some restrictions are necessary to limit corruption
Tried to close soft money loophole by prohibiting issue ads on television and radio that mentioned a candidates name, paid for by corporations or unions, and apppeared 30 days before a primary and 60 days before a general election
Upheld in McConnell v FEC (2003)
Citizens United v FEC (2010)
Citizens United is a conservative group dedicated to informing americans on traditional american values including “limited government, free matket, Judeo-Christian values, promoting the family, strong national defense”
Produced Hillary: the Movie critical of Hillary Clinton. It aired in theaters and on DVD. Citizens United wanted it aired on cable which would violate the ban on corporate electioneering communications but held that it express advocacy for a candidate
Citizens United argued that McCain-Feingold only intended to ban television and radio ads, not films
5-4 decision ruled that prohibitions and corporate and union independent campaign expenditures violated the First Amendment and upheld Buckley that money=speech
Speechnow.org v FEC appeals courts ruling that used Citizens United to state that independent expenditures also constituted free speech
Super PACs - can take unlimited odnations but cannot directly contribute to candidates
Forms of Political Participation
Linkage institutions - channels that connect individuals with government
Elections, political parties, interest groups, the media
Social movements
Voting
24th amendment - prohibits state and federal government from charging a poll tax
26th amendment - lowers voting age to 18
Factors that affect voter turnout - socio economics, state of economy, sense of political efficacy, gender, age, race ethnicity, felon status (all intertwined, socio economics are main determiner)
Candidate characteristics (Obama and McCain, Trump and Hillary Clinton)