Central to the conundrum facing politicians and political scholars in the United States is the low and evidently waning voter turnout. Apparently, between 1964 and 2012, the turnout in Presidential elections declined from an estimated 69.3 percent to 56.5 percent of the total registered and eligible voters (DeSipio 2016: Module 6, Lecture 1). Now, in answer, state and national officials have issued proposals for different institutional reforms including “early voting [and] voting by mail” in some States as a means to encourage Americans to vote (Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, Tolbert, and Spitzer 2014: 219). Evidently, the mentioned tactics create a double-edged sword: they increase electoral participation and at the same time increase voter turnout among the historically underrepresented groups. From the young to the poor and the racial and ethnic minorities [identified as those who are most likely to shy from or lose interest in national matters], reformed methods of voter participation ought to increase their numbers in the ballot boxes. Still, it is evident that the modifications do not guarantee political participation. On the contrary, Ginsberg, et al. document a study in which, out of thirteen countries, the United States occupies the second last position with a little over 50 percent in voter turnout from 1945 to 2008 (2014: 220). Thus said, this paper argues that the fact that registration reform does not affect turnout during elections hints at other possible determinant factors in voter participation: the level of influence of candidates and the individual characteristics of eligible electorates.
For a person to understand how candidates manage to garner votes during elections, there is a need to consider the role of political parties and interest groups in the same. In other words, the party with which a man or woman opts to run for office can ascertain his or her fate in the elections. Concurrently, each political party requires backup from individuals and organizations; for that reason alone, interest groups come in as donors and large scale supporters during the campaigning period. By that logic, political parties and interest groups create a link between officeholders and the citizens they present in different levels of government. Subsequently, once the political parties and interest groups are at play, personal interests and enacted electoral laws and rules go on to create the final determinants of voter turnout.
In the contemporary United States, there are two main political parties: Republicans and Democrats. The most palpable difference between the two lies in the fact that despite seeking similar electoral goal by “electing [their] members to [an] office and thereby controlling the government,” Republicans and Democrats work differently (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 199). In a 2011 study dubbed “Beyond Red vs. Blue: Political Typology” by the Pew Research Center, the researchers shed more light on the given claim. In what the study calls “a portrait of the American electorate,” the results revealed divisions within voters as respondents sought to support a political party based on what it represents (0:20mins). For instance, staunch conservatives and main street Republicans support the Republican Party; however, while the latter hold “conservative Republican views,” they are not as steadfast as the former’s (Pew 2011: 1mins). Still, both factions would vote for Republican candidates as opposed to the Democrats who also have supporters. Hence, it is safe to argue that parties promote democracy in a nation by not only combining the interests of the politicians and citizens but also through the coordination of elections (DeSipio 2016: Module 6, Lecture 3). Naturally, rather than have multiple individuals run for office, political parties ensure that voting processes are cohesive by presenting specific candidates for each position. After all, the American two-party system makes it impossible for a third political party to succeed in elections (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 203).
Another role that political parties play in mobilizing electoral participation revolves around the boundaries within which they operate based on electoral rules and their consideration of both the political and economic environments that precede a campaign. From the regulations that govern the financing of political campaigns to those that dictate primary elections, parties in modern day the United States of America face different constraints in candidate nomination and the acquisition of funds. About the sources of party funding, since the Federal Election Commission “oversees campaign finance practices in the United States,” anything outside what the government body considers legal warrants legal action (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 232). For illustration purposes, one may consider the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The court asserted that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 had no grounds on which it could prohibit “corporate funding of independent political broadcasts” since the First Amendment protects the citizens’ rights to engage in political speech (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 101). Nonetheless, the case highlighted the powers of the Federal Election Commission in regulating political parties and their activities as they seek votes.
The issues of political funding and support go on to create the foundations from which interest groups stem. In contrast to the political parties, the interest groups seek to influence public policy without placing their candidates to run for office. In that sense, their goals lie in policymaking instead of the parties. Module 6, Lecture 3, defines an interest group as an organization of people with “a shared belief or mutual concern” that give them a reason to want an influence on the government (DeSipio 2016). For example, corporations might fund a candidate because he or she promises to increase import tariffs and bring massive profits to their companies by reducing the number of competitors in the market. Regardless of their aims, interest groups have direct contact with the public and can have a significant influence on voters by having them support a common goal in the form of a political party or candidate. Among the African American societies of the United States there is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Created in 1909, the NAACP has been active from the first quarter of the twentieth century and was at the forefront in the fight for black enfranchisement for the better part of the twentieth century (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 116). Expectedly, if the NAACP supports a particular cause, persons of African descent would do the same because the interest group represents their ideologies with a distinct interest in the equality of the races. The problem with the given setting lies in the reality that just because people affiliate themselves with an interest group does not mean that they would come out to vote. Moreover, “interest groups can corrupt democracy” as they are democratically accountable (DeSipio 2016: Module 6, Lecture 3).
While political parties and interest groups deal with the organization of campaigns, it falls on leaders to mobilize supporters and ensure a high turnout during elections. A viewing of the video clip “1988: When Bush Said Read My Lips” reveals the accuracy of the given assertions by highlighting the subject’s prowess in garnering votes during an unprecedented campaign for presidency (THNKR 2012). Apparently, amid the realization that “Americans want their President to stand for something,” George H. W. Bush’s trademark “read my lips, no new taxes” propelled him to victory during the 1988 presidential elections (THNKR 2012: 2mins). Harsh economic conditions made levied duties a bitter requirement enforced on American citizens and as a result, Bush’s promises made him the most eligible man to lead the people. Thus, aside from the context of political parties, it is plausible that party leaders consider the individual traits of their supporters before deciding the best campaigning approach. If there are high chances that a particular group of voters would turnout during the election period, then political leaders would mold their strategies to meet their needs. It is no wonder Barack Obama won “the crucial votes of women and minorities,” as his 2012 campaign slogan was “Forward!” and the mentioned groups remain underrepresented (Ginsberg, et al. 2014: 228). Hence, voters increase in numbers when they feel political action would directly influence their conditions in the political, social, and economic spheres.
With the given facts in mind, sometimes the characteristics of voters can hinder them from accessing the ballot boxes because of external factors that include electoral rules and laws. For instance, “non‐U.S. citizens [and] convicts” cannot participate in the election processes and are still subject to the legislation that the ensuing government would endorse (DeSipio 2016: Module 6, Lecture 2). Initially, gender, race, and economic statuses determined one’s eligibility as a voter as African Americans, women, and white males without property could not cast votes (DeSipio 2016: Module 6, Lecture 2). Currently, and coupled with the consideration of citizenship and criminal records, the set restrictions that rely on voter identification requirements do similar, if not worse, damages. It falls on the government to modify electoral laws and ensure their rules do not prevent or dishearten voters from turning out.
In conclusion, it is evident that while political parties and interest groups create one side of the coin that is voting processes in the United States, their efforts will prove futile if they fail to consider the personal interests of citizens and the modification of electoral laws. Voter turnout in the United States is involving in nature and depends on multiple factors. In that sense, as long as the demography of Americans remains diverse, voting incitement changes with every election.
Works Cited
DeSipio, Louis. "Political Parties, Interest Groups, and American Democracy." Introduction to American Government Module 6, Lecture 3. 2016. Lecture.
DeSipio, Louis. "Who Participates and Why? The Logic of Participation." Introduction to American Government Module 6, Lecture 1. 2016. Lecture.
Ginsberg, Benjamin, Lowi Theodore J., Weir Margaret, Tolbert Caroline J., and Spitzer Robert J. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. 9th. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.
Pew Research Center. "Beyond Red vs. Blue: Political Typology." YouTube. YouTube, 04 May 2011. Web. 13 July 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-I2yCJK_Gc>.
THNKR. "1988: When Bush Said Read My Lips." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 13 July 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6tlyQ64r-o>.
