Participation Crisis Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is partisan dealignment?
Where voters no longer strongly identify with a party, and their support changes between parties from election to election
Give a pro of using referendums and initiatives to improve the participation crisis:
Higher turnout, interest in politics, and knowledge of politics
Avoids broken promises from the government. Gives electorate greater influence over legislation.
Give a con of using referendums and initiatives to improve the participation crisis:
Existing low turnout for UK referendums. Populist policies and the tyranny of the majority.
Dominance of wealthy special interests.
Give a pro of using recall elections to improve the participation crisis:
Public has more power to hold representatives accountable
Give a con of using recall elections to improve the participation crisis:
Tyranny of minority.
Recalls could be used as protest against the government
What is a recall election?
Where voters sign a petition calling for a vote to remove an elected official ahead of the next election.
What is a primary election?
An election held by a political party to choose a candidate for an upcoming election
What’s the difference between an open and closed primary election?
Open - open to all voters on the constituency
Closed - restricted to party members only
Give a con of using primary elections to improve the participation crisis:
Low turnout could leave the decision to small numbers of unrepresentative voters.
There is no guarantee that voters would pick more diverse candidates than party leaders.
Give an example of a pro of lowering the voting age to improve the participation crisis:
1969 - voting age lowered from 21 to 18.
Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, announced his support for lowering the voting age at the party’s 2013 annual conference.
Give a con of lowering the voting age to improve the participation crisis:
Many 16-year-olds don’t pay taxes, and have fewer responsibilities than adults.
Maturity/ education
Youth turnout already very low, so reducing the age would lead to a lower % turnout.
Give a pro of using compulsory voting to improve the participation crisis:
Many nations issue fines to those who do not vote (eg. Australian Federal Election 2013… non-voting fine set at $170
Higher turnout -> greater legitimacy for winners.
Supporters argue that voting is a civic duty, much like jury duty.
Give a con of using compulsory voting to improve the participation crisis:
People have the right to decide whether to participate or not.
Uninformed and uninterested people might randomly vote
Donkey vote - where voters number candidates based on the order they appear on the ballot
Give a pro of using digital democracy to improve the participation crisis:
Modern technology can inform and educate the public, increasing political participation.
Give a con of using digital democracy to improve the participation crisis:
The ‘digital divide’ - those with and without computers and internet access.
Is online voting secure?
Would it keep the same anonymity and privacy as secret booths?
Give 5 suggested reforms for the participation crisis:
Referendums and initiatives
Recall elections
Primary elections
Lower voting age
Compulsory voting
Digital democracy
GIVE 2 FOR COMPULSORY VOTING
Greater Legitimacy -> more votes
Increased Participation -> increased turnout votes
Civic Duty -> act as full citizens, as members of a political community
Stronger social justice -> volunteer voting disadvantages the most vulnerable in society
GIVE 2 AGAINST COMPULSORY VOTING
Worthless votes -> Uneducated voters affecting results
Distorted political justice -> distorts strategy adopted by political parties
Cosmetic democracy -> addresses symptom not cause. Higher turnout but the civic engagement decline is not addressed.
Abuse of freedom -> violation of individual freedom.
GIVE 2 FOR LOWERING THE VOTING AGE
Responsibilities without rights -> minimum age for various activities is lower than 18
Youth Interests Ignored -> lack of political representation for young people
Stronger political engagement -> would re-engage young voters. Increase civic engagement.
Irrational cut-off age -> current voting age ignores steady intellectual and educational development from 16 to 17
GIVE 2 AGAINST LOWERING THE VOTING AGE
Immature voters -> not full citizens with incomplete development.
Preserving ‘childhood’ -> forcing responsibilities and choices on young people.
Deferred representation -> 18-year-olds are broadly in touch with 16s and 17s, moreover.
Undermining turnout -> lowering voting age means lower turnout
GIVE 2 FOR USING DIGITAL DEMOCRACY:
Easier participation -> citizens can express their views without leaving their home
Access to Information -> massively enlarged citizen access to information, meaning a truly free exchange of ideas and views.
Ease of organisation -> cheaper and easier to organise ‘virtual’ referendums, and so can be held much more frequently
Power to the people -> supported development of political and social movements, helping to shift power from government to private citizens.
GIVE 2 AGAINST USING DIGITAL DEMOCRACY:
Electoral malpractice -> weaker scrutiny and control of the process. People’s identities can’t be so effectively checked. The process of voting can’t be properly ‘policied’.
‘Virtual’ democracy -> erodes the ‘public’ dimension of political participation, reducing democratic citizenship, demeaning politics.
Digital Divide - Access to ‘new’ information and communication technology isn’t universal. Gives rise to new patterns of political inequality.
Anti-democratic forces -> Internet has been used for the spread of political extremism and racial and religious intolerance.
How has UK turnout in general elections changed in recent decades?
Significant variation - highs of 80%s and lows of under 60%.
Turnout gradually declining since WW2, but increased the last 3 elections
Why is turnout important in a representative democracy?
Low turnout threatens government legitimacy.. broad participation is vital for the government to be seen as legitimate (the right to hold power).
We need more electoral participation.
If too few people vote, some may question the government’s mandate, their right to peruse manifesto policies, as they can’t claim they’re acting on he wishes of the majority of citizens.
