Political participation refers to
the civic activities, such as voting, that citizens use to take part in
political processes and express their opinions and preferences. Explore the
definition, forms, and examples of political participation, review the types of
political participation, and recognize who the process is for.
What Is Political Participation?
For many, as American citizens, one
of the aspects of our culture that many are most proud of is the extent to
which they can take part in the political system. Whether they are voting for a
new congressman, serving on a jury, or participating in a public protest, they
can be fairly certain that their actions are going to have an influence on
American politics in some way. For them, this is important because it is one of
the ways in which Americans can contribute to their communities and be active
members of society.
These civic activities are what are
known as political participation, and they are a critical part of any
democracy.
As the name suggests, political participation simply
means that a person is participating in the political process by making his or
her opinions and beliefs known. In the social sciences, the term 'political
participation' is often used to describe an action taken by a citizen to
influence the outcome of a political issue.
Types of Political Participation
There are many different forms of
political participation and whether you know it or not, you've probably taken
part in some of them at different points in your life.
Some of the most common forms of
political participation are:
1. Voting
In a democracy, voting is the single
most important form of political participation that a person can take part in
because it ensures that politicians are elected by the people, rather than
being assigned to their position of power by someone else.
2. Protest
Whether or not it is a
constitutional right, as it is in the U.S., public protests are another
important form of political participation because you are making your opinions
known in a very obvious way, with the hope that your actions will influence or
initiate change in a particular area of politics.
3. Public consultations
Like voting, public consultations
(which are more commonly known as town hall meetings) offer ordinary citizens
the chance to get together in a group with a politician or elected official in
order to make their opinions and feelings known.
4. Jury duty
Although most people shudder at the
thought of having to attend jury duty, it is an important type of political
participation because it ensures that people who are charged with a crime are
judged by people like them, rather than allowing the outcome to depend entirely
on a single person, such as a judge.
Most Common Forms of Political Participation
These include:
· Signing
a petition
· Writing
a letter to a public official
· Blogging
about a political issue
· Donating
money to a cause
· Volunteering
for a campaign
· Joining
an activist or interest group
· Holding
a public official position
· Occupying
a building in an act of protest
· Committing
a terrorist act
As long as the activity involves
ordinary citizens expressing their opinions by contributing to the political
process, you can probably assume that it is a form of political participation.
Participation beyond the Polls in Nigeria
While voting is an
important form of citizen participation in politics, it takes place only
periodically. Besides voting, citizens have several other ways to take part in
politics, each involving varying amounts of time, skill, and resources.
Contacting Public Officials
Expressing opinions to
elected leaders is a vital avenue of political participation. Most politicians
are keenly interested in public opinion. Since the 1970s, the number of people
contacting public officials at all levels of government has risen sharply and
steadily. In 1976, during America’s Bicentennial, only about 17% of Americans
contacted a public official. In 2008, over 44% of the public had contacted
their member of Congress either in writing or in person. While email has made
the process easier and cheaper, elected officials agree that well-written
letters or face-to-face meetings remain more
effective.
Donating Money, Time, and Effort to a Campaign
Attributed largely to the
interest stirred by the candidacy of Barack Obama, over 17% of the
American public contributed money to a presidential candidate in the 2008
election. Another 25% gave money to a cause or interest group. During the 2020
presidential campaign, candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden gathered a
combined $3.65 billion in contributions. Since the 1960s, contributions to
candidates, parties, or political action committees have increased
substantially, as email, social media, and candidate websites have made
fundraising easier. While the influence of money in politics is widely
criticized as a way for candidates to “buy” their way into office, fundraising
campaigns help make people aware of candidates and issues.
Bedsides contributing money, about 15% of
Americans work for candidates or political parties by preparing and
distributing campaign material, recruiting supporters, organizing campaign
events, and discussing candidates and issues with the public.
Running for an elected office is perhaps the
most personally demanding, yet potentially rewarding avenue of political
participation. Being a public official requires a great deal of dedication,
time, energy, and money. At any time, about 3% of the adult American population
holds an elected or appointed public office.
Protest and Activism
As another form of
political participation, public protest and activism may involve
unconventional and sometimes unlawful actions intended to bring about change in
social, political, or economic policy. Used effectively during the civil
rights movement of the 1960s, people may take part in nonviolent acts of
civil disobedience, during which they deliberately break laws that they
consider to be unjust. For example, sit-ins, such as the Greensboro sit-in staged
by four Black college students at the lunch counter of a North Carolina
Woolworth's store in 1960, were effective in ending de jure racial
segregation. When they see no conventional means getting their message across,
members of social movements may resort to harmful acts of political
extremism like bombing or rioting.
Social Movements and Groups
Many Americans participate in national and
community political affairs by joining grassroots movements and
single-issue special interest groups. Proliferating since the 1970s, these
non-profit groups are as diverse as the People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA), which supports animal rights, to Mothers against Drunk
Driving (MADD), which advocates for stiffer penalties for impaired driving
convictions.
Symbolic Participation and Non-Participation
Routine or habitual acts such as saluting
the flag, reciting the pledge of allegiance, and sing the national anthem at
sporting events show support for American values and the political system. On
the other hand, some people choose not to vote as a means of expressing their
dissatisfaction with the government.
Political Apathy
Political apathy is best described as a
total lack of interest in politics and in participating in political activities
such as election campaigns, candidate rallies, public meetings, and
voting.
Since the health of a nation’s government is
often measured by how actively its citizens participate in politics, apathy
poses a serious problem. When citizens fail to participate in politics,
democracy fails to represent their interests. As a result, public policy often
favors the less apathetic population as opposed to the more apathetic
population—the “squeaky wheel gets the grease” effect.
Political apathy is often caused by a lack
of understanding of politics and government. Politically apathetic people see
little value in voting or from the benefits and costs of the government
policies being considered. They often see no personal benefit in expending the
effort needed to gain political knowledge.
However, it is possible for people who have
a thorough understanding of politics to remain willfully apathetic towards it.
In this context, it is important to distinguish between political apathy and
political abstention—a deliberate decision not to participate in the political
process as a way of sending a message to politicians.
According to a 2015 study conducted by
Google Research, 48.9% of the United States adult population consider
themselves to be “Interested Bystanders”—people who pay attention to political
and social issues around them but choose not to actively voice their opinions
or take action on those issues. Of the self-proclaimed interested bystanders
interviewed by researchers, 32% said they were too busy to participate, 27%
said they didn’t know what to do, and 29% felt that their participation would
make no difference.
Political apathy tends to be more prevalent
among younger voters. According to the Center for Information and Research on
Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), only 21% of youths eligible to vote in
the United States between ages 18–21 voted or were politically active in 2010.
About 16% of youths considered themselves to be “civically alienated,” while
another 14% felt “politically marginalized.”
Many apathetic people report feeling
too intimidated by America’s heated political climate to do their research into
politics. Elements such as media bias and complexity of issues create the
danger of otherwise politically apathetic people acting based on intentionally
distributed misinformation.
While countless ways of combating political apathy have been suggested, most focus on improved voter education and a renewed emphasis on teaching basic civics and government in America’s schools. Theoretically, this would enable citizens to more clearly understand the issues and how they might impact their own lives, thus encouraging them to form opinions and taking participatory steps to act on them.
0 Comments